Before and After

Oh boy. This ain’t pretty.

But that’s okay. It isn’t supposed to be. Many of you told me you love The Anthology before/after shots because you get a kick out of watching the transformation of these monstrosities. So I’m getting this mint jacket tailored in the hopes that I can wear it for something other than dressing up as your mom in 1986.

Will it be minty-fresh to death afterward? Stay tuned and find out.

P.S. You’ll find all The Anthology’s glorious (and hideous) before and after shots riiiiiiiiiiight here.

Like a kindergartner, I’ve got a “Hey ma! Look what I made!” feeling about this project. Unlike The Anthology’s signature before and afters where I take a vintage piece and have it reinvented by my tailor, I did this one on my own.

And it wasn’t hard at all. I wove this striped silk scarf into a plastic chain, skipping a few links at a time, and turned it into one big necklace/scarf combo. (Neckarf? Scarflace? Hmm… I’m going to have to keep thinking about this.)

And because the chain had broken (how? I have no idea), I used a big floppy bow as the clasp. Fancy, huh?

P.S. You could do a lot of vintage shopping on us! We’ve got a Shoppalu x The Anthology giveaway going on right now.

Normally “before and afters” on The Anthology involve hideous vintage pieces that I have my tailor rework (see Exhibit A, B, and especially C).

But this, my friends, is a whole new ballgame.

I’m taking two once-loved pieces of my own — a black-and-white silk scarf I bought in Paris and a plastic chain necklace I bought somewhere far less glamourous — and I’m going to make my own “after”. All by myself. I’ll share it with you soon (as long as it doesn’t look like a 6-year-old made it).

P.S. I whipped up my own “After” once before and I kind of love how it turned out. Let’s see if lightening strikes twice.

Oh, vintage secretary dresses. How I love finding you buried on a vintage store rack and reworking you into something I’d actually wear!

Remember what this one looked like before I reworked it? This:

You guys called it frumpy. And you were bang-on with that observation.

My fixes were relatively easy. I belted it with a vintage YSL belt (I don’t even remember where I found it, but I am so very glad I did). I pushed up the sleeves to make it look more laid back and I unbuttoned the high neck so it didn’t look so, well… buttoned up. See? These are things a non-seamstress can do.

And I removed the shoulder pads, which is the easiest fix ever, as long as the piece isn’t so structured that it requires them. Oh, and I had it shortened just a bit. But my tailor handled that part because that is something that a non-seamstress cannot do.

[Thakoon shoes.]

Say you’re vintage shopping and you see this shoulder-padded, fuchsia-checked, long-sleeved, high-necked dress.

Some of you might recoil in disgust and throw it right back on the rack.

I did a little happy dance. Because I love nothing more than to reinvent a vintage secretary dress.

This one looks like a 1980’s take on an 1880’s school teacher’s ensemble. And for that, I love it.

I’m taking it to the tailor today and you’ll be the first to see the “after” shots once she’s worked her magic.

P.S. Let’s take a journey through some of The Anthology’s best before/afters, shall we? Like this printed jacket “before” and “after“. Oh, and these ridiculous pants look so much better after they became shorts.

You remember this, right? (I’m not cruel enough to repost that “before” shot again — I figured you’ve suffered through it enough).

We can all rejoice! Because thanks to the magic of tailoring, that vintage monstrosity now looks like this.

Thank heavens, right? It was dicey there for a minute.

As far as transformations go, this one was fairly simple — tucked in a few of the seams to take away its bulk.

And rolled up the sleeves (all the better to clap with, my dear).

[Shirt by JNBY, shorts by BCBGMAXAZRIA, RoseGold sandals from Holt Renfrew.]

P.S. Your weekend is about to get a lot more fun — The Anthology and Mattel are giving away Live at Squamish tickets and a Mattel Game On! prize pack. Get on it before it’s too late!

P.P.S. And those of you who are in my blogging/branding workshop at SFU this weekend, I promise to serenade you so you feel like you’re rocking out in a field with all your best friends.