Est. 2010
DIY Prada Sweater Dupe
Looking luxe on a budget isn’t always easy, friends.
Sure, there are plenty of fabulous thrift store outfits to be scored, but sometimes a little extra DIY effort can take a ho-hum garment from dowdy to daring.
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You might also like this Ottolinger Deconstructed Sweater Knockoff refashion!
I loved this fur cuffed sweater by Prada when I saw it online, but I balked at its $900 price tag.
I’m sure some of you find it silly. I mean…it is. But after I saw it, I became obsessed with creating my own refashioned version.
According to the product description, you’re looking at a…
Prada cable knit mohair blend pullover with goat fur inserts on the cuffs.
Here’s how I made my own Prada Sweater dupe!
First, I found a sweater in a similar color at a thrift store for $1.
It took weeks for me to find anything close to that tealish green at my favorite thrift stores!
I considered dying a white cable knit sweater to my desired hue, but couldn’t find one of those either! Gah!
Technically, my sweater should be bigger, as well as cable knit and a mohair blend to be truly spot-on with my inspiration piece, but I just couldn’t wait a moment longer to complete this refashion!
You’ll notice I’m wearing some pretty big sunglasses in my before pics for this one. That’s because I’m still looking prrrrretty rough after my last (hopefully very last ever) chemo treatment and the bags under my eyes would scare small children (and could later be used to transport them to their respective therapists).
That’s right…this is my FIRST post-cancer refashion!!!! Huzzah!!!!!!!!
But where did I find the fur?
I hoped to find a pink fur pillow or kid’s jacket while thrifting, but no dice.
I finally went to a craft store where I still couldn’t find any bright pink faux fur (I decided to forgo the goat route).
I ended up buying a half yard of the stuff from Amazon for $22.
This is WAY more than you need for this project, but I couldn’t find a smaller quantity online.
If you can find pink faux fur at your local craft store, it’ll be much cheaper, as you won’t end up having to buy the massive amount I now own.
It’s okay. I have a six-year-old niece, and I’m sure I’ll come up with something fun to make for her out of it.
I measured the parts of the sweater sleeve I wanted to cover with the fur.
If you’re following along at home, you’ll want to double this number (since you’ll need enough fur for both sides.
Using the measurements above, I cut out my two fur rectangles.
This was a very messy process that left me with a bunch of loose pink fur all over my work table and floor!
Seriously…keep a vacuum handy if you attempt this.
The fur itself didn’t shed. This is just from the act of cutting the rectangles out, thereby giving the surrounding fur a haircut.
Attaching the Fur Cuffs to the Sweater
I contemplated a few methods for attaching the fur to my sweater.
I didn’t want to sew it on, as I didn’t want any visible stitching.
I thought about sewing velcro to the sleeves, and then gluing velcro to the cuffs. This would make the fur detachable for laundering purposes, but I worried that would end up looking bulky and weird.
Finally, I settled on gluing the fur directly onto the sweater. I’d still be able to wash it, just on a hand wash setting and I’d have to let it air dry. No big deal, as this is how I wash most of my sweaters anyways.
Before getting my glue on, I inserted a piece of cardboard into each sleeve.
Here’s what my sleeves looked like after the cardboard was inserted:
What DIDN’T Work: Fabric Glue
I thought this was going to be a fairly straightforward no-sew refashion, but I was mistaken.
I grabbed my fabric glue.
Then I glued a line along the top of the fur where I wanted to attach it to the sleeve.
I laid my sleeve over the glued part.
I folded the rest of the fur over the sleeve. Then, I added more glue along the vertical end of the fur.
I folded that flap over the top of the fur (trying to hide the seam as much as possible).
I put a couple of heavy books on top of the glued fur to help it adhere better.
The instructions on the glue bottle said it would dry in 30 minutes.
I gave it an hour.
I removed my books and pulled gently at the fur.
The fabric glue was a complete and utter FAIL, friends!
Maybe the sweater was too porous? Maybe the fur’s backing was the wrong texture? I’m not sure.
Feel free to offer suggestions in the comments below!
What DID Work: Hot Glue Gun
It was time to break out the big guns…er gun!
I basically just repeated the same steps listed above but used hot glue instead of fabric glue.
It worked like a charm!
The hot glue held the fur firmly in place. It’s not going anywhere now!
Check out my Prada for nada Designer Dupe!
I think I came pretty close to my inspiration piece!
The colors aren’t perfect, and I wasn’t able to use the same materials as the original, but for $1 (plus the price of the fur), I think it works!
I styled my new-to-me sweater with a pair of faux leather pants, knee boots, and my favorite short wig!
My friend Erin said I looked like a muppet, but did I care? No. I did not.
What do you think? Did I get close to the real thing?
Not bad for a $1 thrifted sweater!
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