Vintage Black Lace Dress Remake & Dorothy Perkins Giveaway!

I put out a little SOS on Friday, to get help with deciding which dress to remake for my annual holiday shindig with my college pals... New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

...and after tallying all the votes on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and direct emails, the winner was the black lace dress/#2!!  It only won by a hair though - the burgundy velvet dress was a close runner-up - but we'll be seeing that soon!

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

I wasn't exactly sure what to do at first, but then everything started becoming clearer once I got out my tools!!

I started off by removing the seam keeping together the lace portion at the top of the piece to the actual layers of the dress.

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

A bit of drape action started to develop, which I was really liking the look of.

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

I was playing around with gathering the top of the piece when everything became super clear!

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

I cut off the top ribbed layer of the dress down the center (there was a non-ribbed layer right beneath it) to begin the "complete removal" process.

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

Because this layer was stitched down at both arms, I removed the seams at the armpits (1), took out the ribbed layer, and pinned closed the area that was just opened (2).  I stitched closed the armpit (3) and was left with a beautiful new seam, sans that ribbed layer (4).  I have lots of ribbed material left over!

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

Next, I removed the second and third tiered layer to the dress...

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

...and stitched in place a new hem.

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

I took in the dress a little at the arms and added new elastic to the cuffs, so I could push them up,  before the piece was complete.

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

I was in LOVE with how this dress turned out!  The lace is totally on parade!!

It was a chilly night, so I paired my dress with this fab faux furry coat from Dorothy Perkins (keep reading for a giveaway at the end of the post!)

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

A little lip gloss application, and the night was ready to begin!

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

The party was in full effect when I arrived!  There were presents under the tree...

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

...and even a DIY to craft!  The fabulous hostess with the mostest, TT (in the picture above with me), set out foam holiday stickers to be added to glasses so everyone would know which cup was theirs.  It's the new crafty version of wine charms!

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

We took copious amounts of photos both before and after we ate.  There was so much food, but I think I spent more time taking pictures than actually eating!

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

It's nuts to think that we all have been friends for 10+ years!!  We have such a rad college crew.

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

I wasn't able to get a tree up in time at my place, so I took full advantage of the tree at the party!

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

Everyone looked so festive and gorgeous!

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

There was even a gift for me under the tree that was a slight inside joke.  The movie (with Rob Lowe!!!)/song The Christmas Shoes makes the hostess and I totally sentimental each season when we hear it.  It's SO sad and the Hallmark movie (I'm such a Hallmark holiday movie nut!) literally makes me cry immediately.  I have to start watching Die Hard right after to curb my momentary lapse in reality.  Anyway, we always joke that it isn't Christmas until we hear that song and this year she gave me the book!!

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

To get an idea of how large the crowd was, we took a few phone shots that made us all look like zombies with red eyes.  Kind of tricky capturing everyone in a confined space.

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

It made way more sense to take smaller group shots throughout the evening!

New Dress A Day - vintage black lace dress - thrift store shopping

We gave gifts at the party, so it only seems fair to send a gift your way!  This gorgeous navy quilted purse from Dorothy Perkins is up for grabs!

New Dress A Day - Dorothy Perkins Giveaway - quilted purse

It's got the Chanel-esque quilting with a fun chain strap that goes across your body - I love everything about it!  To enter, head over to Dorothy Perkins' site, take a look around, and leave a comment below with one of your favorite items!  I think the blue zip around change purse is adorable and I'm loving this star sweater!  To give everyone ample time to enter, you'll have until 12/24 to sign up!

Happy Monday!