I got this fantastically sparkled dress sent my way by reader Crystal...
...and I finally turned it into some amazing to wear to LA's Magic Castle. Yep, when a night of magic is on the agenda, you MUST wear sequins.
How would you make this work?? Full post coming later today!!
Here's that mauve polyester dress again!!
Long sleeves, extra layer up top...
...got turned into this fabulous dress the first round!
Nothing like some halter action!!
I was still left with the top layer of the dress and I had to find a second use for it!! Wanna see what I did??
So I've been obsessed with these boldly printed, embroidered, pom pom purses...
...so I used these as my inspiration in creating my new top!
I started with some white and yellow May Arts pompom string from May Arts as well as a strip of vintage ribbon that I scored in downtown LA.
As I wasn't in love with the trim that was already on the top of the piece, I decided to cover it up! I pinned down the vintage ribbon...
...then added pompom trim above and below the ribbon. I pinned, trimmed the sleeves, and then stitched everything in place.
The pompom trim proved to be a little tricky to sew (the poms kept getting caught in the presser foot!), however I powered through it and tacked down all of the trim.
Post-sew, my top was ready to wear!!
Adding some embellished elements to the top takes it to a whole other level!
You could never imagine that it started off as a portion of that dress!!
I wore it to the Hollywood Bowl with my girlfriends...
...where we were literally spitting out our sips of delicious wine because we were laughing so hard. Best kind of nights, if you ask me.
One dated look = two stellar new outfits.
Total success story, if you ask me!!
You got a fun teaser of this dress yesterday and it felt a little robe-ish.
I was obsessed with the pattern. Also loved that the button area up top was physically sewn shut. Fake buttons always make me happy :)
(I was buzzing like a bee here - the colors just screamed bumblebee!)
The waist was a little big...
...so I definitely wanted to make some fit adjustments. The shape it there, but I have some small tweaks to make to turn this into a dress that I'd wear all the time!
First plan of attack - trim the sleeves!
I cut off the ends of one sleeve and then used the trimmed portion to measure the exact same amount on the other sleeve.
I pinned the sleeves' edges to prep for a new seam and then measured about two inches in the body to take in. I pinned this area...
...and then got out the sewing machine! I stitched the sleeves, leaving a 3/4 seam allowance to add in elastic...
...took in the body of the dress, and then shortened the dress too. That cankle area where the dress fell wasn't to my liking, so I brought it up!
I used red thread to make it a bit clearer, but I left about a 1/2 inch area in-between where I started and ended my sleeve stitching. I took elastic from my collection...
...and guided it (with a safety pin) around the arm's edge to create a stretchy sleeve end.
With the sleeves complete, I put on my new shorter, more fitted dress and headed to the streets!
I paired the dress with a skinny black patent leather belt and some sparkle flats for a little more texture.
I left the top part of the dress stitched because the top button actually worked. That's all I would open anyway, so I thought this was an element that didn't need fixing.
This totally has a DVF vibe and the robe feelings that I was having earlier have gone away.
This will translate into a fall dress really well - I'm already thinking about the textured tights, cardigan, and boots that I'm going to pair with it!
(Leg kicks-dance break in front of a wrought iron fence, like you do!)
I love how just a few small adjustments turn a dress from fine into fantastic. The length was key. Love the shortened sleeves too! I actually might take the sleeves up a little more and go a capped route.
The wheels keep on turning!! You might just see the part three to this post soon!!
Before/After
Let's Dish!
DIY
Vintage Closet
I Do
As Seen On
