Diary of a Midlife Rock Chick | BDS Rough Cut: The Making of My Upcycled & Unique Prototype Swimsuit

The original. The cover. The REMIX #1

OK, I actually have no bloody clue what I'm doing! But I do have a vision. Erm no, let me rephrase that - I've had this vision since I was a kid! Now singing 'One Vision' to myself btw!

Only back then, it was just me, a pad of paper, a ton of felt tips - you remember those with the actual brush tips? Yep, them! And a head full of imagination!

Writing this, I am totally back in that moment... 10 years young (or thereabouts), sitting for hours 'designing'! I have to use that term very loosely. Read the first line again...

I had no clue what I was doing then either!

I was 'just drawing' but secretly dreaming of 'one day' having all my 'designs' in a fashion show! OMG I soooo wish I had kept those drawings. I had hundreds. And whilst it's unlikely any of them were any good in the real world, in 'Debs World'?

They were epic!

Keep in mind, it's the early to mid 80s... We're talking batwing jumpers, ra-ra skirts, t-shirts and of course - neon legwarmers! In my head, these creations of mine were definitely catwalk-worthy!

Reality - pretty much the same style over and over, just in 100 different patterns... As I said, epic 😂

Fast forward 40+ years...

Debs the Designer lost her way...

'Education' got serious. AKA: boring!

My favourite subject was, of course, art - until even that got boring. Still-life? WTF is the point of that?

(Full disclosure - I was fucking GREAT at it. But I was stuck in the confines of someone else’s rules and ideals.)

And don’t even get me started on all the bloody history.

Yes, there have been some insanely talented, thought-provoking, interesting, game-changing artists over the years. But did I really need to understand their processes and techniques to make my stuff?

Absolutely not. This is not me dismissing any of it here though.

I just didn’t want to study art. I wanted to make art. I wanted to fucking draw!

Don't judge me! But yes, 'top of the class' was frequently on my report card. And I’m flippin' proud of that - because I didn’t think I was much good at anything else back then. I did the 'model student' thing. Aced the lessons. Passed the exams. Drew what I actually wanted to draw at home…

But then I left school. And it all stopped. Creativity abandoned me. For most of my adult life, it stayed that way.

It's only in recent years that the passion has reignited - through photography, branding, website design, to name a few mediums. Although I still haven’t drawn again. Not since I was a teen. Not until now.

Enter stage right: Present-day Debs!

Where this Debs is, to some degree, 'in' the fashion world. Walking runways. Doing boudoir photoshoots. Being a founder member of an awesome, or rather - AWWAsome body positivity campaign, launched by Rachel Peru and Tina Boden.

Credits (L-R): @evabdigital_photographer | @ibboudoir | @marydavies.photography

Where this Debs' creativity came back, but this time… she came back - badass level!

Which brings me to this very moment. Here. Now. As I write this, something is being birthed.

And it actually is epic!

Since about 3am this morning, I've had pretty much just one thing on my mind. This...

Meet: The Rough Cut - REMIX #1

Me earlier - rummaging through a pile of old (read: doesn’t fit) lingerie and my ever-expanding collection of £1 charity shop finds.

On the bed, behaving like some kind of midlife fashion guru. Thinking: 'Oooooh I can use this! And THIS!'

No real plan. Just the vision. Gimme, gimme, gimme fried chicken! #IYKYK 👑

An idea. A vibe. And my ADHD hyperfocus kicking in, screaming:

MAKE THIS F🤘CKING HAPPEN! AKA: Unique Upcycled Swimsuit Prototype!

So I did - with a £2 silver-sequinned swimsuit from Vinted (which, in no way, shape or form would have contained my 'ladies'... but perfect for metamorphosis!)

Then looking in the mirror, wearing said swimsuit - thinking: 'How do I make this fit me? Not just fit me?'

Cue genius move - layering it over a Curvy Kate bra I’d almost sold because it didn’t fit either.

Yep - it's definitely a look!

Well, maybe not quite, but - it was a moment. A spark. The raw studio edit. The very first BDS prototype!

OK, I hear you... 'WTF is BDS, Debs?' Much more on that coming soon, but for now:

BDS = BoDieS

BDS = BaDasS

BDS = Bold Dramatic Swimwear

I don't know about you, but as a midlifer, I am so sick of 'safe' swimwear! You know, the pretty florals, pale pastels.

Or the other end of the scale - cut so much, they're basically a piece of string that wouldn't even cover my little finger, let alone my '51 years' of bum, tum and tatas!

Where the hell did the middle-ground go?

I want sexy, fun, edgy swimwear - with just a little bit more coverage, that doesn't drown the drama! And let's face it, the 'girls' nowadays really do appreciate a helping hand, aka lift/ structure/ support.

In my case, there's certainly more of me to cover than when I was a 20-something! But that doesn't mean I want to hide it all away or blend into the background.

That’s the entire raison d’être of BDS! Oh and YES, there is a cheeky play on acronyms here too ;-)

BDS, erm...😈

OK, remember Debs the Designer? Well, she's back in the room! I've raided my knicker drawer, my suitcase filled with all 'those clothes' (the ones you will wear again one day) - and even my fancy dress boxes! I know - you thought it was really Madonna, didn't you? 😜

So there I was, ensconced in my office/ den, laying plastic sheeting on the floor - and I'm laughing now as I'm envisaging Gangs of London, which I have not been binge-watching (in the background) for an entire week!

I promise - no BoDieS were harmed in the making of this!

But the silver sequins are officially deceased! They've been badassified! Spray-painted black and gold - because they were way too 'pop-princess' and I needed ROCK-CHICK!

Hey, if pop-princess is your thing, fair play - own it!

But when it comes to style, fashion and vibe - edgy, risky, BOLD is where I'm at! Metallics, studs, straps, zips, chains, whips, oops well maybe not the whips 😂 And this is where the Rough Cut is at...

I even inadvertently made it match my recently acquired-already obsessed with leather jacket, customised and signed by my rock hero - Mr Luke Spiller! Hmmm, collab calling?

No lining. No neat finish. Just raw edges and even rawer inspirations. Think MarieMur x Skims x Lady Gaga!

Ok so nope, I didn’t study fashion and nope, I didn’t ask permission to go 'swimwear-savage'!

But I have spent years designing confidence from scraps - in life, in business, in my body.

And that’s exactly what I’m bringing to BDS.

This isn’t an official launch, by the way. This is just the warm-up. The soundcheck! Maybe the lyrics don't quite fit the melody yet, maybe there's no record deal - but, I'm rolling with it anyway.

Because this isn’t about being perfect.

It’s about coming full circle - back to that 10-year old with her myriad of felt-tip pens!

Except this time - there's PURPOSE in addition to the passion!

I'm so done with swimwear that looks like it was created for a Laura Ashley catalogue, designed by someone who’s never experienced 'Friday-night-naked-dancing-to-rock-music-after-one-or-several-tequilas' lol.

If 'cutesy and demure' (ick, I really do loathe that phrase) is your thing, there's no actual judgement from me, but I very much envisage you HATING my creations!

And I'm totally fine with that!

My brain, my ideas, my style - I know it's not everyone else's cup of tea(quila?). But, if you're a kindred spirit - as in the shots and slammers kind 😜, or if you're just enjoying the madness - do stick around.

This is only the Rough Cut - Remix #1. There's much more crazy, more chaos, more studs and infinitely more rockstar-related rambling still to come!

All bodies are unique - all bodies deserve unique swimwear!

And so I bring you... BDS, erm - swimwear salvaged from scraps, patched up with passion and born for BoDieS that are ready to rock!

This is my middle finger 🤘 to boring beachwear

And this has been 'The Making of... The Rough Cut' - my unique, upcycled swimsuit prototype!

Stay tuned and turn the volume UP. Or don’t!

Either way - I’ll still be here... creating, crafting, Strutting, BADASSING!