Remake: Vintage Purple Pleated Dress

There's nothing more uncomfortable than a tight neck!

I feel like I get neck-claustrophobia (yeah, that's a word I just made up) when I wear things like this. The color was fab...

...but the dress needed a little more something added to it, you know?

Plus there were some major shoulder pads that needed to get removed.

I should stuff new pillows with all of the pads that I've accumulated :) Ready to see how this dress looks now??

First off, I started with those pads! Seam ripper + stitches holding the shoulder pads onto the dress...

REMOVED!!

I decided to adjust the length next and trimmed off enough to make this hit above my knees.

And next...the neck!! There was a seam down the center of the dress, so it was easy stitch removal.

That's more like it!

I stitched a new hem at the bottom of the dress...

...and cleaned up the neckline.

Pairing this with accents of black, my newly upcycled dress was ready to wear!

I love how fun this dress feels now! It was just "eh" in the beginning, but now this is something quite chic.

And the addition of a thick black patent belt, black tights, ankle boots, and a vintage pin, the dress just had more character.

Minor changes = major upgrade

Oh, and instead of actually trimming the sleeves, I just rolled them up. Now, there's the option to still go long when I get chilly. (I know - it's not just chilly but FREEZING cold in many parts right now, so I'd definitely wear this long-sleeved with a BIG sweater on top if I wasn't in California!)

This works for day or night too - it's something that I can wear during the day at work and then roll off to a dinner or a girls night in it at night!

Yeah, this before/after works for me!!

Dress: Thrifted | Tights: Daiso | Boots: CottonOn | Pin: Vintage (Goodwill - Charlotte) | Sunglasses: Ray Ban | Belt: Thrifted

Boxes O'Vintage & Purple Satin Dress Teaser

I've unearthed a few of my boxes labeled vintage (yay!!!) and it was like Christmas all over again as I began to unpack. I'm only one extra-large Home Depot box in, and already it's a season's worth of remakes.

It's also solidifying the fact that my memory isn't serving me as well as it used to because a half of the pieces I don't even recall purchasing :) Is there such a thing as "moving brain?" Because if so, I'm self-diagnosing myself with just that.

Didn't remember this cute top...

Same goes with this 60s dress with an amazingly sick collar!! (Love me some collars.)

Totally forgot about this aqua dress...

...as well as this French polyester shirt with "bonbons" and "Paris" written all over it. Definitely not sure what my original intention was for this one, but I'm determined to make it work!

I shot a bunch of pieces before I moved, so the before looks are pretty much ready to go. Tomorrow, I'm going to turn this dress into something a little more updated!

And preferably something with some more room at the neck!

Those shoulder pads are going to get removed as well...

Stay tuned!

Remake: Tweed Dress with Buttons

This tweed dress remake was one of my favorites from last year! It's President's Day, so this tweed look felt a bit Washington to me - perfect thing to re-post for today! My sewing machine has come out of the moving boxes, so it's back to the grind! You'll see what I've been working on this week. I hope those of you who have off today enjoy an extra bit of R&R, Three day weekends are always a treat!

I've had this tweed dress for a while but just haven't been inspired to do anything with it. Do you guys ever feel that way about things - you either have errands, projects, or tasks to complete and you just can't motivate to get 'em done? I feel that way about many things (I have a bag of clothes in my trunk that need to be dropped off at the dry cleaners, yet they've been there since Thanksgiving...) and this dress has been one that I've just been staring at.

It's still way warmer here than anywhere else in the country (Atlanta, where y'all at right now?? The newscasts have been comparing your city to The Walking Dead. Just stay safe and beware of those zombies, k!!) but a chill in air has started to make way. Today I finally brought out the tweed to make it work.

It's about as close to a winter wardrobe as I'm going to get right now!

In figuring out what kind of piece I'd actually enjoy wearing, I came to the conclusion that this would only need a few adjustments. First off, cutting it a little shorter. I used the bottom button as my guide and trimmed right underneath it.

I love the fabric leftover! I'm thinking about something fabulous that I want to turn this into. (Stay tuned!!)

Once I trimmed the bottom, I prepped the raw edges to be hemmed. The bottom button/buttonhole were folded under and I used those as my guides to make my way 'round. It was going to be the perfect length to hit right above the knee!

It was a smidge too big, so I took in a little over an inch - I didn't want it to be tight, but thought it could benefit from a minor alteration.

I added some tights and boots to my new jumper and I was ready for the day!

I loved the idea of adding a blouse with a big bow peeking through, but because the bow was hidden beneath the buttons, I opened the top two and folded the ends under so the bow was front and center.

I couldn't resist breaking out one of my favorite Goodwill Outlet (in Queens!) finds as well, a vintage black briefcase. It was perfect to tote around my laptop in!

Oh, and there were pockets!!

This is the perfect work ensemble - mixing some patterns and mixing some fabrics to liven up what used to be a tired tweed dress.

Yay for a new piece that works well with all kinds of layering, no matter how deep into the Polar Vortex you are!!