Upcycling Heaven

I don't do Aloha Wear. Maybe it's because my grandmother bought me mu'u mu'us for Christmas as a young child when all I wanted was a Strawberry Shortcake doll. Maybe it's because I couldn't wait to leave Hawaii as a teen. Maybe it's because I'm petite and shy and don't like bright colors or loud prints. Anyway, when I heard about a store which took old mu'u mu'us and made them into peasant tops and skirts, I thought it was a bit odd. I mean, those were items I wouldn't have been caught dead in the first time around... but after they'd been sitting in a plastic bag in someone's closet for a decade?

Anyway, there's a store in Kailua, barely 5 minutes away from my house called Mu'u Mu'u Heaven. It's been open for a couple years, but I never went in because, well, I don't do aloha attire (except on one occasion, when I was teasing some horribly cheesy colleagues in the military, who dressed like they were color blind twins). Not to mention, it's a boutique. The last thing I wanted to do was pay boutique prices for dresses in patterns I loathed in the early 80's! I guess they've expanded since the last time I read an article on them, upcycling old sundresses, not just the nasty old Hilo Hatties touristy crap you get in the local thrift stores.

Apparently, President Elect Obama and his family have taken several of his late grandmother's old mu'u mu'us to the ladies at Mu'u Mu'u Heaven. They are designing some upcycled items for the Obama's to remember her by. Here's a link to the news clip. Just thought it was a neat idea, and inspiration to my crafty mom friends. I have lots of great dresses sitting in my closet which don't get worn. Maybe the baby will be the most stylish little girl of 2009. You never know!