It’s COPYCAT day!! Week two of copycatdom has arrived. Today piece is inspired by J Crew's marino lace shell.
It originally retailed for $228 and now it's on sale for $139.99 - check it here! My version cost me just $1 using this pink frock that I snagged for that buck...
...and this tank that came from my abundant collection.
This one had become rather dingy and was on the 'gym' side of my drawer...slight staining under the pits and random spots here and there. Transformation time has arrived :)
I found this dress and was totally intrigued - it seemed like it could have been a pregnancy dress from the 80s because of the ruched, satin stomach. It was totally poochy!! I wanted to use the dress mainly for the fab lace, so I began trimming it off of the skirt.
Once I had my lace material, I took my gym tank and added them both to a boiling hot bath of RIT Dye's discontinued Black Plum mixed with a bit Pearl Grey from the collection. I thought the color blending was going to get me close to the shade of J Crew's top.
I let them marinate overnight...
...washed them with water to get the extra dye out and hung 'em to dry. I got a very dyed tank and a lovely, more mild hue on the lace.
I originally wanted to use cotton doilies to cover the tank because they looked more like the top layer on the J Crew shirt however I couldn't find the right amount in the right size to cover the tank after hitting up a local Joann's. That's another route to take as well - snag some old doilies/table runners from your collection and stitch and dye.
So back to the next step...because the way the tank stretches, I put the shirt on and pinned the lace to the edges (neck, arms, sides) where I was going to need to sew.
I took the tank with attached lace off, trimmed the edges and began to sew them together.
My new top was complete!! I wore it with a vintage skirt from my collection and some fun gold necklaces. Glasses are on again today as I just couldn't maneuver getting the contacts in this am. It was rainy, I was sleepy and I pressed snooze way more than I should have and was running totally behind sched.
I loved the way the side of the tank turned out!
The two toned-ness of the textured front with the solid back was my favorite part of J Crew's version, so it was fun to recreate.
I did a little Italian for dinner with MR because I was totally craving comfort food. The day started off rainy and I just couldn't kick the sleepytime feeling. A full belly of freshly made pasta and I was ready to go home and cozy up in my bed.
We got a postcard from our server featuring an upcoming performance of the in house Italian band 'La Dolce Vita' on it and I couldn't get 'Mambo Italiano' in my head.
It was a lovely little, 'get out of my house and enjoy a meal cooked by somebody else' night, which was a treat from the souping kick I was on when I was sick.
Fun outfit and a yummy dinner to boot!
Thanks for the inspiration J Crew!!
