Thank you all so, so much for your outpouring of lovely comments on my last post!!! You all are so sweet and so kind–I’m so overwhelmed and delighted that you loved the results of Kate’s photography and my camera-hamming! lol. Thanks bunches!!
This post marks the beginning of a new blogging schedule for me. From now on, I’ll be writing later in the evenings. Schedule-wise this works best for me (so I don’t *coughcough* waste time blogging first thing in the morning.), and I also found from the survey I did that most of you are catching up with your blog feeds first thing in the morning. So this way they’ll be a fresh, little post waiting for you! Hopefully it’ll work out…
I wanted to share with you all a recent refashion I did! I spotted this dress in the thrift shop a few weeks ago, during one of their $1 days. Although the style is quite mid 1990s (gosh–I remember a dress that had an similar silhouette that I wore when I was 11 to my piano recital–circa 1996!), the fabric and “bones” were good. For the price, I couldn’t say no, because I kept thinking that the waistline and skirt cut were just screaming late 1930s/early 40s! The most obvious change was shortening the skirt (harder than it would seem; the fabric didn’t want to cooperate!), but I also removed the shoulder pads, and redid the sleeves a bit. Those were easy-peasy: taking up the sleeve hem and creating a pinch pleat on the side, topped with a button. This gave the sleeves a sort of puffed look, and echoes a lot of sleeve styles from that era.
I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out! A little shorter than most real 40s dresses, but I prefer this length with my short legs. And the key to refashioning, after all, is customizing something to your body or aesthetics.
I recently acquired some new magazines, chock-full of drool-worthy fashion images from the early 1950s. Here are a couple of my favorites for this week’s Vintage Monday feature! Enjoy!
Great dress! It looks so much better after you altered it! (Before it was kind of school teacher-ish.)
I need to start searching the thrift racks.
Some people (like yourself) just seem to have a natural talent at spotting something a bit drab and making it beautiful – I dont think i have that gift and i’m completely jealous!! Its such an adorable dress now, well done!!
You did a lovely job with that dress! It’s looks great on you!!!
)
You made it so wearable! If I saw that dress on a rack, I don’t think I’d even look at it twice… but now it looks so stylish. And hey, thanks for the 50s pics– I’m loving the collars.
That hem is the absolute *perfect* length on you!!!
Stunning. You’ve inspired me to tackle the huge box of mending and alterations I have put aside. Oddly, I’ve just noticed your amazing walls again. Perhaps they have been in my dreams as it is very close to the shade I’ve just painted mine!
wonderful! I never find anything so cute.
I love your pics atmosphere.
Fabulous. Per usual. Such skills you have, lady!
it turned out so great! you have such an eye for finding pieces with potential!
xox
Great refashion! Reminds me how many alterations I must do…
Can I ask, where do you get all these old magazines from? They’re just fabulous!
Oooh, you did a very good job of refashioning that dress. It fits you perfectly now, and don’t you have the cutest poses ever!
You are amazing! I came across your site via-via and *love* it. Your photos are beautiful and fun; they remind me of looking at old shots of my nana when she was a young woman
Lovely wedding invitations, too.
oh my! it looks so much better, it can easily be mistaken for a vintage one!
These are toooo cute, and the one with the sailor cap is my favorite! Reminds me of Betty Grable.
I’m always astonished at your ability to see refashioning potential in items like these. When I look at most of this style dresses I just see dowdy school teacher, not 1940s bombshell. Kudos!
oh wow… i so covet the sailor hat! the dress is lovely too!