This one really isn’t that bad. (May I direct your attention to the atrocious and the utterly embarrassing.)
And truth be told, on someone else the mid-calf hemline on this vintage dress would look amazing. But it’s not for me. So I had it altered (hooray for tailors!) and will post the “after” shots tomorrow.
P.S. As far as Twitter goes, you should follow The Anthology.
You gotta love a good “before” shot.
Some of them are so terrible, you would think I made them look bad on purpose.
But I don’t. I just put on whatever unmodified vintage piece I find and let it speak for itself.
This one says “Hem me.” (Stay tuned for the “after” shot!)
Your grade two teacher wore something very similar to this, didn’t she?
Long skirt, exceptionally shoulder-padded shirt — it’s a foolproof combination, isn’t it? So classic. So vintage.
My favourite thing about a twofer is that you can treat the separates as separates and wear them, well, separately.
All I needed to do with the blouse was remove the shoulder pads and it was ready to rock.
Easy peasy.
And all I needed to do with the skirt was take it to the tailor’s (D.I.Y. is so easy when you have someone else D.I. it for you).
So how did the skirt turn out? Who knows! It’s still at the tailor’s. But I’ll let you know as soon as I do.
Sound familiar? It’s Britney Spears. And it’s also many of you.
Because after I posted a few teaser shots of the vintage wedding dress transformation, y’all were hollering for more. And who am I to deny you?
Here’s a refresher: I found this late 50s/early 60s dress at a thrift store and I had to have it. (I didn’t even know at the time that it has my initials sewn inside. Creepy, but true.)
So I had it hemmed.
And I specifically left the two layers of tulle longer than the under layer.
It’s more dreamy, more floaty, more ballet-y that way.
And it was perfect for the opera (Marriage of Figaro? Wedding dress? I mean, come on.)
Could this be my frumpiest “before” shot yet? There’s some very close competition, but I’m gonna to go out on a limb and say this is the frumpiest vintage dress I’ve ever tried to transform into something I’d actually wear.
The surprising “after” shot can be found on one of my very favourite blogs DreamSequins, where I’ve written a guest post.
Thank you so much, D, for having me!
But finally she agreed to hem this dress to the length I want. It fell below the knee before and it made it look like something you’d wear to the laundromat. Now? Not so much.
My tailor disapproves of anything higher than just above the knee. We go through the same song and dance every. single. time.
Take a look at the sneak peek.
Wore the dress to dinner (happy birthday ma-in-law!) with my ma’s bag, which feels so summery, so vacationy. I just might have to bring it to Turkey with me (on Wednesday!).
At first I was afraid, I was petrified that I wouldn’t be able to make something wearable out of leather, chain and pirate charms.
But I’m sooo happy (and a little surprised) with how it turned out.
And it was simple simple simple to make. I braided ultra suede strips with gold chain and hung charms off of it. I made it long enough to be a necklace or to wrap three times around your wrist.
Aaaaargh you as excited as I am about it?
Speaking of things I’m excited about, this dress is currently at the tailors getting shortened. It’s pretty as it is, just a little too heavy.
Won’t be nearly as fun for the puppy when it’s shorter, but it will be far more fun for me. I’ll post the “after” shot next week.
Normally my before shots look like this or this and someone else turns them into magical after shots (I’m not much of a do-it-myselfer). But this before shot is a little different, and I’m not going to lie to you, a little terrifying.
Using leather, chains and charms from Country Beads I’m going to attempt to make a pirate-themed bracelet. And I really, really hope it turns out.
to what it was before, this dress is now something I’d wear out of the house.
To brunch, to lunch, to dinner, wherever.
It’s sweet, but not too sugary sweet.
What did my husband say when he saw the transformation?
“It’s so short.”
You can’t win, can you?
Says my husband, “It looks… You look…”
“You just can’t.”
Well, I had to. Because it’s my favourite “before” (my purple striped dress is a close second).
I’m getting it altered and I’ll post the “after” shot in a week or so. But tell me, does it or does it not look exactly like what your Great Aunt Helga wears to bed?