DIY: APC’s dip-dye job (as shown above, in a picture from Facehunter)

Do It With: 2 packages of black Dylon brand dye, 1/2 cup salt, a stainless steel sink with a stopper, some saran wrap, something to stir the dye with (nothing fancy; I used a chopstick), 2 plastic containers (for dissolving dye and salt in), a stove and some pots to heat up water, a washing machine (not completely necessary, but it’ll help), a dryer OR an iron, a hanger and electrical tape (see direction 4c - your tools for this step may differ from mine but be sure you figure it out before you start…), and finally, any white cotton/mostly-cotton dress/shirt/garment you have lying around that you want to make over.

Do It Why? French company APC’s Spring 07 dip-dyed tunic dress was really interesting and cool in a decidedly non-cute way. $110 may not be all that expensive, but when you realize that you can DIY and get the same effect for like $5, (and also that it’s July, and you’re SUPPOSED to be tie-dyeing, summer camp-stylee) you really have no other choice but to take that white dress, skirt, or shirt you’re kind of bored of and turn it into a piece you’ll wear long after the weather’s changed.

Is APC going to be VERY MAD? Mais non! Their spring line is no longer available, and even if it was YOU couldn’t have any of it because YOU live in DC and will never know the joy of walking into an APC store (without logging many miles in car or airplane first). And besides, you’re just going for the effect here - chances are yours will look a little more tie-dyed, but certainly no less rad.

Difficulty Level: On a scale of 1-5, this is a 1.5. It would be a 1, as the ‘active’ steps are super easy and literally everything but the dye you’ll have around the house, but there’s a lot of downtime and waiting for things to dye or dry. (All you need is just a little patience).

Cost: You can score packages of Dylon at Jo-ann Fabrics for $1.99. You can dye whatever you like or have lying around; I used a white organic cotton tank dress from H&M that cost $12.90 because I couldn’t bear to part with any of the stuff I already had. At minimum, this project costs around 5 bucks.

DO IT, YOUNG THINGS:

1. Prep clothes according to package directions - if your garment is new either run it through the machine or wash in the sink and rinse thoroughly, squeezing out any excess water (you want it to be evenly dampened, not soaked). If you’re using an already-clean piece you’ve had for a while, dampening it evenly in the sink will totally suffice.

2. Prep the sink. Clean it with hot water and soap and be sure to rinse it out well. Using a bunch of folded saran wrap, cover the drain completely, THEN push the stopper in. This will stop any leakage - it’s a huge bummer to leave the sink for 20 minutes and come back to find that ALL OF YOUR DYE HAS ESCAPED. Trust me. *When you’re filling up the sink in the next step, take the stopper & saran wrap out while the tap water is heating up.* 

3. Prep the dye.
a)For this you’re only sort of following the package directions - since you won’t be submerging the whole garment AND you’re going for an overdyed look there’s no need to dilute the dye as heavily as they tell you to. About 3 inches of water in the sink should do it, but you do need to make sure the dye is COMPLETELY dissolved into the hot water. My rule of thumb: fill the sink about 1 inch with the hottest of tap water, then fill the other 2 inches with almost-boiling water from the stovetop.
b)Using two seperate plastic containers, completely dissolve both the dye and the salt with a little bit of the super-hot water and some stirring action. Add both to the water in the sink, stir it up and you’re set.

4. DYE IT, YOU GUYS.
a)Find the halfway point between the top and bottom of your garment (you don’t have to measure, just fold it over for a general idea of where it is). 
b)CAREFULLY and EVENLY dip the garment in the dye bath to about 1 1/2 inches below the halfway mark,hold it there for about 60 seconds, then pull it back out about 1 1/2-2 inches; the remaining fabric will be the most darkly-dyed part and should stay in the dye bath.
c)Suspend the garment over the sink. This is one of those Figure It Out For Yourself (FIOFY?) steps (based on how your own kitchen/sink area is set up); see picture 4c for my hanger + cabinet + electrical tape contraption.
d)Entertain yourself for 60 minutes or so.

5. When time is up, drain the sink. Using a gentle flow of water, carefully and evenly rinse the portions of the garment that you dipped into the dye bath (NOT the part where the dye crept up on its own accord) from top to bottom, until the water runs clear. Gently and evenly squeeze out any excess water (again, top to bottom), and hang the garment to dry in your bath or shower. You can speed up the process by setting up a fan, but don’t mess with it again until it’s totally dry.

6. The only thing left to do is to seal the color in with some heat. If you’ve got a dryer, a nice tumble in there should do it (give it a solid 20 minutes or so), and if you don’t have laundry capabilities, you can totally just use a dry iron on the ‘cotton’ setting.

As with any over-dyed garment, this will bleed all over anything you wash it with in the machine. If you have a tendency to spill things on yourself the best way to clean this is to handwash it, and don’t let the undyed sections mingle with the rest! Oh, and don’t sit on your mom’s white leather couch while wearing this - SHE’LL KILL YOU.

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