I’ve been looking in my closet these days & not finding anything interesting. Well, nothing interesting that I haven’t worn in the last 5 days at least. On Monday, one of my sweet neighbors kindly offered to watch Penelope as I ran some errands; naturally I couldn’t help but pop into a thrift store while out & about. It’s a real treat to go to thrift shopping without Penelope. It means I can actually try on clothes that I find! Look at the gorgeous dress I found for $6:
I’m a huge fan of this print. I’ve been seeing all sorts of bold florals around this season and I fell in love with the shape of the skirt. The skirt has pleats & pockets in the front & buttons going all the way down the back (so Victoria Beckham, but with buttons). I wasn’t a fan of the bulky sleeves & loose top, but that’s never stopped me from buying anything.
As soon as I got home, I snapped the ugliest before photo ever & started fixing up the dress. Here’s what I did:
- I took in the sides from the waist up by about 1-2 inches on each side
- I took in the sleeves by about 2 inches on each side
- I shortened the sleeves & added a cuff
- I removed the breast pocket (it was making me feel all sorts of lop-sided)
Ah. So much better! The shortened sleeves make the dress feel 20 lbs lighter. I’m a big fan of it now. All I need to do now is find some hot gladiator heels and I’ll be rocking and rolling in NYC at the SocialLuxe party next week!
This looks beautiful! Boy, do I wish I knew how to sew. Have you thought about making the collar into a boat neck?
Thanks, Kim! I’m a little afraid to. I was thinking of making it into a slight V neck, but not sure I want to take that risk just days before BlogHer. Maybe afterwards I’ll play around with it!
You look awesome!!!
That print is fabulous. Love the pleating on the skirt and who can so no to a dress with pockets?
you did a great job! it looks amazing
Fantastic!
Cute refashion! I love the sleeve length and the cuffs. Have fun in my part of the woods. Your ganna LOVE it!
You are clever Melissa – you find something really original, tweak it just a bit and turn it into something really special – a brilliant talent!
It turned out so cute. Someday I want to give refashioning a try.
wow-that 1st photo looks like my mother in law…you really know how to fix a dress! it looks great!
Looks great. It’s a brilliant find and a wonderful rework.
You are so talented. If I saw that dress on the rack I would never look twice. It’s darling…now I want one.
so cute! i wish i had the skills to do that!
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