This divine dress I snagged at Goodwill is getting some airplay!!

I had to get this dress when I saw the amazing stripe business. I love stripes and saw the potential immediately! However that panel on the front was SO incredibly detailed. Someone spent a LOT of time working on it.

I'm very certain that this will be able to jump the "not-so-much-in-public" look to chic status in no time!

I began by removing that front panel. It's going away, however I will most definitely find a good home for it!

I went around the entire front panel with my seam ripper...

...until the piece was completely removed!!

Next I worked on the length. You can see a little black mark right to the left of the scissors (that was hidden by the panel) which I used as the spot where I wanted the dress to hit. I cut...

I pinned...

I pressed...

...and then went onto the neckline. I wanted to open it up, so I created an easy V shape.

I stitched the neckline as well as the hem...

...and had a dress ready to dance in!! Those stripes are the new focal point!!

And just think...there was a huge panel on the front of this dress just a little while ago.

For some fun options, I grabbed two different purses to try out.

First I took a thin, tasselled black purse from my collection to try out for a black and white look and then grabbed my Alexander McQueen-esque DIY purse that I made on the Ricki Lake Show for a poppy, red option. (The clip from the show is all the way at the bottom of the post if you want to watch!)

They both worked perfectly with the heels - a pair of almost brand new Pour La Victoire's that I scored at Crossroads!

I love that this piece is so basic.

You can really have fun with the styling, bringing lots of color into it with bright jackets or sweaters or even give it more sparkle with a sequined cardigan.