This divine dress I snagged at Goodwill is getting some airplay!!
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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.
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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!
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I went around the entire front panel with my seam ripper...
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...until the piece was completely removed!!
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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...
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I pinned...
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I pressed...
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...and then went onto the neckline. I wanted to open it up, so I created an easy V shape.
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I stitched the neckline as well as the hem...
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...and had a dress ready to dance in!! Those stripes are the new focal point!!
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And just think...there was a huge panel on the front of this dress just a little while ago.
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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!)
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They both worked perfectly with the heels - a pair of almost brand new Pour La Victoire's that I scored at Crossroads!
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I love that this piece is so basic.
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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.
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I can't wait to play around with this dress even more. This might be the one that gets a week's worth of looks created around it! Stay tuned!
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Ricki Lake clip for your viewing pleasure...