I think I've mentioned my obsession with lace in the past...I'm a frilly gal and love, love, love the dainty fabric. Now this piece wasn't so dainty, but the lace was in full effect, and I mean FULL effect.
Bam! A dress completely covered in maroon lace with a long vertical line of ruffles. The idea was there, however it was a little too frumpy and looked like it was still vacationing in 1991. As I tried to think of what I was going to do (a more fitted dress? a skirt? a top?) I thought that I'd make those ruffles pop a bit more, keep the length (this time!) and turn it into an overcoat.
First thing on the agenda was taking the seam out of the center and opening it up!
I totally feel like a resident at Seattle Grace except I performed a C-section on a dress and McDreamy actually saves lives. In any event, my scrubs were on for this entire procedure.
Since there was no zipper for my coat, I turned to my trusty batch of amazing, vintage buttons...
...and took the two gold ones with rhinestones in the center (in the upper right hand corner) to use as little closures in the center of my new coat. Kind of like what I did on Day 91 with my sweater-turned-cardi with button clasps. (PS, That cameo pin above is just screaming to be used - will get to that soon enough!)
I hand sewed them to the middle of my new overcoat and took some elastic (made it into a figure 8) and secured the buttons with one side of the figure 8 around one button the other side around the other button.
After adding the buttons, I cut the sleeves, and went from the top of the new jacket all the way to the ground stitching a clean hem on each side to make sure there was no unraveling to be had.
And we've got a brand new long coat to throw over my jeans, tank and rain boots :) I look like I could be a toreador, a drum major ready to take the band down 7th Ave. in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, or ready for a flamenco class. It's super dramatic and slightly costumey - two things that I love, costumes and drama.
I went for the Spanish dance look and started doing some hip moves while working the bottom of the jacket.
If I only had some castanets...
