I put out a little SOS on Friday, to get help with deciding which dress to remake for my annual holiday shindig with my college pals...
...and after tallying all the votes on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and direct emails, the winner was the black lace dress/#2!! It only won by a hair though - the burgundy velvet dress was a close runner-up - but we'll be seeing that soon!
I wasn't exactly sure what to do at first, but then everything started becoming clearer once I got out my tools!!
I started off by removing the seam keeping together the lace portion at the top of the piece to the actual layers of the dress.
A bit of drape action started to develop, which I was really liking the look of.
I was playing around with gathering the top of the piece when everything became super clear!
I cut off the top ribbed layer of the dress down the center (there was a non-ribbed layer right beneath it) to begin the "complete removal" process.
Because this layer was stitched down at both arms, I removed the seams at the armpits (1), took out the ribbed layer, and pinned closed the area that was just opened (2). I stitched closed the armpit (3) and was left with a beautiful new seam, sans that ribbed layer (4). I have lots of ribbed material left over!
Next, I removed the second and third tiered layer to the dress...
...and stitched in place a new hem.
I took in the dress a little at the arms and added new elastic to the cuffs, so I could push them up, before the piece was complete.
I was in LOVE with how this dress turned out! The lace is totally on parade!!
It was a chilly night, so I paired my dress with this fab faux furry coat from Dorothy Perkins (keep reading for a giveaway at the end of the post!)
A little lip gloss application, and the night was ready to begin!
The party was in full effect when I arrived! There were presents under the tree...
...and even a DIY to craft! The fabulous hostess with the mostest, TT (in the picture above with me), set out foam holiday stickers to be added to glasses so everyone would know which cup was theirs. It's the new crafty version of wine charms!
We took copious amounts of photos both before and after we ate. There was so much food, but I think I spent more time taking pictures than actually eating!
It's nuts to think that we all have been friends for 10+ years!! We have such a rad college crew.
I wasn't able to get a tree up in time at my place, so I took full advantage of the tree at the party!
Everyone looked so festive and gorgeous!
There was even a gift for me under the tree that was a slight inside joke. The movie (with Rob Lowe!!!)/song The Christmas Shoes makes the hostess and I totally sentimental each season when we hear it. It's SO sad and the Hallmark movie (I'm such a Hallmark holiday movie nut!) literally makes me cry immediately. I have to start watching Die Hard right after to curb my momentary lapse in reality. Anyway, we always joke that it isn't Christmas until we hear that song and this year she gave me the book!!
To get an idea of how large the crowd was, we took a few phone shots that made us all look like zombies with red eyes. Kind of tricky capturing everyone in a confined space.
It made way more sense to take smaller group shots throughout the evening!
We gave gifts at the party, so it only seems fair to send a gift your way! This gorgeous navy quilted purse from Dorothy Perkins is up for grabs!
It's got the Chanel-esque quilting with a fun chain strap that goes across your body - I love everything about it! To enter, head over to Dorothy Perkins' site, take a look around, and leave a comment below with one of your favorite items! I think the blue zip around change purse is adorable and I'm loving this star sweater! To give everyone ample time to enter, you'll have until 12/24 to sign up!
Happy Monday!
