15 Days to Go: $1 Remake

Oct 1, 2012 | 54 Comments

Happy Monday!!

I’m highly obsessed with this number…

New Dress A Day - DIY - 80s Prom Dress - Upcyclec

Day 15 – Before

I’ve had this piece for a very long time and finally just got my hands on it.  Feels like 80s prom, ne c’est pas??  …if I only waited until Halloween, I could totally be channeling my inner Phoebe Cates/Kelly LeBrock/Ally Sheedy right now!!

First plan of attack…cutting the dress into two pieces!!!

I snipped away the top black layer from the bottom.

New Dress A Day - DIY - 80s Prom Dress - Cut off the black

Top removing!!!

I pinned under the leftover black fabric to the skirt and stitched it in place.

I was left with this glorious mess, which will probably find a use somewhere down the road.  Can’t tell you where yet, but I’m sure we’ll see its pouffy mass again down the line!

New Dress A Day - DIY - 80s Prom Dress - Pouffy Sleeve Remnants!

Pouffy Sleeve Remnants!

I have to say, with a quick trim and stitch, the new piece was completely finished!  OK, well almost completely finished.  I added a vintage brooch to the bust (I gathered and cinched with the pin) just to give a little bit of oomph!

New Dress A Day - DIY - 80s Prom Dress - After

Day 15 – After

The ruffled-ness is in full effect now and I’m totally ok with it!  With the sleeves and black fabric gone, the ruffles can totally take center stage.  PS, anyone else Center Stage fans?  (Hello early Zoe Saldana and my fave guilty pleasure movie circa early 2000s!!)

New Dress A Day - DIY - 80s Prom Dress - Party Dress Time!

Party Dress Time!

PS, these pics make my legs look whiter than they’ve ever been too!!  I think they’ll totally come in handy for my real Halloween costume though.  I guess you can say I’m totally planning ahead?!?

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

In Dollar Dress Remakes · Uncategorized
  • Bethany B.

    Great job! I love the color of this dress!!! I also love “Center Stage”- great movie with a killer soundtrack!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/lucia.burnett Lucia Green

    Very nice, getting rid of the black really made that color shine.

  • http://www.facebook.com/julia.hambach Julia Hambach

    that was exactly what i`d have done with that one, too! great job! btw i love love love your shoes! where did you get them?

    • newdressaday

      Shoes are Chinese Laundry :)

  • toni

    holy short “dress” batman! careful not to bend over! love the color though. i owned a camaro in 1991 that was teal. miss that car.

    • newdressaday

      Oh yeah…bend at the knees for sure in this puppy!

  • ms. mary

    my legs are so white that one time in grade school someone asked me why i was wearing white tights (…only i wasn’t). so i know how you feel! hehe

    • JaneY

      When I was a counselor at a camp, one of my campers asked me why I was wearing white pantyhose with my swimsuit!

  • Mitch!

    Wow! As soon as I saw this dress, I said to myself, “egads, WHAT can she do with THIS?!” Your transformation design is so cool, so far from what this dress once was! Excellent job!

  • http://foryourtastebudsonly.blogspot.com/ Roxanne

    Sorry, I don’t like it, but you say it’s a part of your Hallowe’en costume? So I will wait until then! I LOVE that brooch!

    • newdressaday

      Ha, no it’s not my costume…I was talking about the porcelain-ness of my legs :) Everyone won’t like everything all the time which is why fashion is fun!!

      • http://foryourtastebudsonly.blogspot.com/ Roxanne

        Your white legs are my white legs! Oh well, we all can’t be having that tanned glow! LOL I guess being 47 years old has to do with the not liking the dress… I probably would have liked it more if it was a top with leggings? Maybe?

  • Terri

    The first time I saw it I thought “Halloween” but you made it work! Just buy itself you could add a hat with fruit and be Chiquita Banana!

    • Terri

      by — how could I have typed buy!?

      • newdressaday

        Totally Chiquita Banana…fun straw hat with fruit and BAM, costume!!

  • Sarah_H.

    Cute! Not something I could ever, ever wear, but then I am 70, not 30. Work on the bust area a little more. Right now it flattens you out. Or is that just the pics?

  • http://twitter.com/jodywallace Jody Wallace

    The brooch is especially nice but the length scares me! But I’m old, so…

  • stephanie

    I think this is rockin for sure! Even if I personally dont have the body to pull off a mini dress I am stoked at the ideas it gives me! Really though, Ive seen shorter. In public. This isnt so bad.

    • newdressaday

      Yay, thanks Stephanie!!

  • Btejkl

    My legs are so white that my sisters called me porcelain legs. Yikes. I do tan up on my chest and arms but my legs stay pretty white all summer.

  • Sassy Kassy832

    I’m pretty sure I’m obsessed with this dress and that gorgeous color!!! I’ve been following your blog and can’t help but be inspired from this as well. Thank you for spreading the creativity around!

  • Rizza

    I couldn’t have imagines what you would do with this one, and you pulled it off again! Transformed into cuteness!

  • Jill

    Porcelain skin suits this color so much better than tanned skin! Had no idea what you were going to do with the dress but it really works!

  • Judy B

    The ‘before’ is one of the ugliest things I’ve ever seen. Once again, you show your amazing ability to see the potential in just about anything!

  • Sam

    I have an idea that I would love to see: thrift store transformations, Halloween edition. Turning thrift store finds into fabulous Halloween costume. I’m sure they would be amazing, and give people some ideas for this October month.

  • Kimba

    It feels like the bottom skirt layer needs to be removed, and then it would be an adorable swingy top worn with leggings or fitted jeans.

    • Allison Woods

      Totally agree. I like it, but then..something’s off. Get rid of that bottom layer and it’s a totally slammin’ top!

  • holly

    I think this might be one of your more amazing transformations. I was looking at the “before” photo wondering what on earth you could possibly rescue from the wreckage.
    The “after” is way beyond what I was expecting… soooo cute!

  • MagE

    The transformation of the dress is definitely better then the original. Although, I think it’d be even cuter if you turned the skirt part of the dress to be more form fitted like a pencil skirt. Right now it just hangs kind of blah. :)

  • Gerlinde

    Sorry – I’m on the side of the ‘like it’ (mighty) and the pink envious ones concerning her figure anyway!
    Yet: don’t you have this dust-on blusher (Thinn lizzy or the like) over there for your ‘chalky cheeeeese-sticks’? :-D ;-)

  • Queen Mommy

    Seriously impressive re-do! Color me another one of those who had no idea what you could do with that hot mess, but you pulled it off. Although, I do agree, that I think I would like it better as a top, without the skirt, as I find the length and fit of the skirt a little awkward, but I’m another one of those who isn’t a fan of the micro mini…..anymore. :~) Just my 2 cents… And, I totally remember Center Stage….actually watched it again on Netflix Instant Play maybe a year or so ago.

  • Lauraly

    I like it. I was at a wedding this past Saturday and this style was quite popular….and cute. Maybe a little puffy slip under to make it flair : ) It IS a young look, of course. I like the shoes, too!

  • Tori Benick

    This is amazing!!! :)

  • ashleigh

    oh myyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! I love what happened with it, But I’d have added some lave or something to make it longer? You have a fabulous figure so you can get away with a mini. I LOVE the emerald on your skin.

  • HeatherTeacher

    Totally love Center Stage! Guilty pleasure for sure!

  • db

    I agree with Kimba – the bottom part just hides your great figure. I really wish you had worn a fruity turban in the Before picture, though.

  • Char

    You never fail to amaze! It’s a wonderful re-make, and it looks adorable on you :)

  • Tasmanian Minimalist

    I love it. Couldn’t wear it myself as I am not petite, bit too Amazonian, but a top colour and fun, happy and groovy dress with za za zu !

  • Gerlinde

    Well, the next step of ‘slavery’/utilisation of the thing is indeed:
    separate bottom part, and do into a sep. pencil skirt hence have a two piece for better flexibility of wear/use!
    Yet: I still like the current overall look; means: even as a two piece I’d would wear it as currently shown by Marisa (if I could – sigh).
    Btw., folks: I thought, this blog run by Marisa is meant for jogging our brainwaves and not here to be pulled into bits and pieces and/or polls for likes or dislikes – am I getting this wrong here?!

  • diane2809

    Oh ho ho ha ha hee hee…I still get the giggles when I look at that before picture! I couldn’t imagine what you were going to make out of that and was totally surprised by the result – very cute! But I would slim down the skirt a bit to show off your fab figure!

  • Lovestosew

    heehee that before shot is sooooo 80′s I love it! Your remake is great but it was almost a shame to change that dress. It should have ended up in the Hall of Fame for Bad Fashion. The sad thing is I think I may have owned something like it, long, long, ago…..

  • Judy

    I read you every day, but have never commented. I stared at that dress for 10 minutes wondering what you were going to do with it. The result is so wonderfully surprising and inventive; I LOVE it. And for those of you who think it’s too short…I live it LA too and for here, it is fairly modest! Fantastic job, love what you do.

  • Sue

    Never, ever could have seen this one coming. :)

    So cute and love the color.

    You are quite the visionary.

  • Boatgirl

    So cute and a big surprise! I didn’t “see” this final product at all in the Before photo, but was completely “wowed” by your After look! So cute — so fun and party-ready. Love it. And don’t worry, you can ROCK that short skirt!

  • X-Pert

    Wow, that is even worse. I would have left the black and part of the turqoise and got rid of all the ruffles and accoutrements on the sleeves and put a cool belt with it. and what is with the knock nees and silly shoes? Jesus… grow up.

    • diane2809

      I appreciate that you would have taken the refashion in a different direction but there is no need to be rude about it. We all have different points of view but need treat one another with respect.

      • Carrie

        Wow, that’s just mean. Whatever is going on in your life that’s bad that’s making you talk that way to people, I’m sorry. I hope you’re life gets better, but that is a completely rude and mean thing to say. I don’t know why you felt compelled to say that, but next time, don’t.

  • Ash

    Oh you put a much needed smile on my face with that before pic! Big hugs to you for that ! xo Ash

  • Allison Woods

    I wonder….if you could make some kind of a headpiece or hat out of one or both of those sleeves….

  • kim

    Maybe you could make a purse out of the poofy sleeves

  • FaerieGirl

    I love love love the movie Center Stage! I’ve watched it at least a dozen times…
    The *new* dress turned out really nice, love the color…

  • Stephanie

    1) I loooooooooooved Center Stage! =) It briefly rekindled my childhood dream of being a prima ballerina… haha.
    2) The dress turned out super cute, and although it’s poufy you can more than pull it off. Love the addition of the brooch as well. I think the only suggestion I might have is adding elastic to the bottom edge of the new bust line, so that it defines the empire waist a bit more. Just a thought =) Otherwise it’s adorable!!

  • Katharina

    The original dress would make a perfect effie trinket (from the hunger games) costume. Thankt you for bringing it to the real world!

  • bladerunner5

    I know I’m a bit late to the party, but what about taking the ruffles and black portion (or not the black portion, depending on how much and what material), and making an amazing fancy bolero out of it for going dancing or out in the evening?