Wednesday Remake: Peach Collared Lace

I feel like I'm having my lace stage at the moment.  I've gotten my hands on a bunch of lacy pieces recently that are making me vurry, vurry happy.  This one might just take the cake!

I mean, it's all lace!!  I'm not into the excessive collar and it obviously needs something to be worn underneath...

...however I've got a serious crush on it.

First off was handling the collar sitch.

I took a seam ripper and carefully went along the neckline removing the stitches holding the double V collar to the dress.

I finally got it into two pieces!!  (I'm going to play around with these leftovers...perhaps a cute little shrug could be created??  You'll see this again soon!)

Even though the shoulder pads were small, they were bugging me because I could see them through the lace!  No bueno.  Even though the color was the same, I would have totally lined these pads with the lace material to make them blend in.

Anyway, they were quickly removed :)

After removing the collar, because there were some frays leftover in the trim, I stitched around the edging to keep everything in place!  I also thought about shortening the dress, however after trying the piece on as it was, I couldn't bring myself to make any further tweaks.

One major adjustment completely removed the dated feeling - it's still feels vintage, but in a totally timeless manner.

I added a purple slip to wear underneath which totally made the lace pop!  I don't match the peach lace anymore...well in all areas covered by slip :)

I paired two gold vintage necklaces, a purple clutch, and a pair of metallic Seychelles to round out the ensemble.  I wanted to add some bolder accessories to make the dress less Victorian feeling.  I could have gone with some cameos, but chose a little more edge instead!

This was my favorite part of the dress...the buttons down the back!!  They're like a little present you get to enjoy when I'm turned away from you!  (Also, sidenote...this is an awesome way to disengage an unwanted convo with a relentless suitor, say at a bar with friends.  "Oh, you just have to see the back of my dress!!")

I love that this piece can be adjusted and worn in a variety of ways just with changing the color of the slip worn underneath.  This one might need to come back sooner than later to be re-styled!

How would you have worn it?  Share your ideas below...maybe your style choice will get picked for the next wearing!

Monday Remake

I'm always a sucker for sequins, so this dress literally jumped into my hands!  (OK, not literally, but you catch my drift...)

The colors were awesome, but I just couldn't wear this dress as is - even the amount of pattern/sequin/beaded trim is a little too much for me!

I'm going to work some magic to make this something totally wearable!!

I started off by taking out the seams out between the flowy skirt and the top.

I had to be super meticulous because there was a trim of bugle beads right along the seam and I didn't want them coming undone!

Once the dress was in two pieces...

...I worked on the top portion and pinned the lavender lining to the sheer sequined material.

I sewed my layers together and then got rid of those shoulder pads!!

Part one of this upcycled project is complete!  I unbuttoned the cuffs and rolled up the sleeves and paired the top with a black mini H&M skirt, a vintage belt, a pair of Moschino heels (a steal at $8), and my pink Ray Bans.

Looking at the photos of this piece, fireworks keep popping out to me in the sequined pattern!  I don't know, maybe my mind is just set on summer :)

Pairing the shirt with a basic bottom, the sequins pop without going completely overboard (á la Goldie Hawn)!  The belt was a last minute decision, but I loved the duo of patterns!  I've been getting a little pattern happy as of late!

An old Gryson for Target purse completed the accessory portion of my ensemble.  Oh, and those Moschino heels were a steal at $8.  Yep, $8.

I hope everyone had a most fantastic Mother's Day weekend.  Even though I wasn't with my mama, I went through lots of oldie-but-goodie photos to feel close by.

Happy Monday, friends!

Marissa's NDAD Creation (#2)

So I featured Marissa just last month when she made a fab peplum top/skirt out of an old pink and white polka dotted dress (click here for a refresher) and we're seeing her again because this remake is tied into Mother's Day!

My mother, sister, and I were all able to enjoy Mother's Day together, just the three of us, which hardly ever happens any more.  We spent the whole day doing girly things, like shopping and crafting!  While at Goodwill I found this dress with a vibrant floral print and great skirt detail.  However, it was a little too busy and a little too roomy in the top for my taste.  I saw a lot of potential in the bottom portion of the dress...

...so I decided to buy it for a re-do!

Let's see what Marissa makes from this dress!

Once I got home I cut the top of the dress off above the waist band. (I did this one layer at a time so not to cut into the waist band on the lower, unseen layer.) This way worked best because the dress had an existing waistband with elastic in the back! 

I have seen so many cute dresses with black tops and bright floral bottoms that I decided to do the same with my re-do.  I found an old black t-shirt in my closet and tried it on with the dress bottom.  Once I had the faux skirt at my natural waist, I pinned the shirt to remember the finished location.  I chalked this line to sew along, measured one inch below it, and then used my rotary cutter to make a straight cut. 

With the right sides together, I pinned the shirt chalk line to the edge of the faux skirt waistband and sewed the two together as close as possible to the waistband.  

Ta-Da, the finished product!

And the whole project only cost me $3.69 plus tax since I already owned the other supplies.

Marissa, this dress is fantastic!  I am thrilled that this gorgeous new dress is what you made with your mother and sister on Mother's Day - I love that you guys were able to spend quality time together getting crafty :)  Not sure if you have the same plans on the books this weekend, but I hope this piece will bring back awesome memories from last year!