Remake: Blue Collared Dress

I have such an affinity for powder blue!!  When I saw this piece, I needed to take it home with me. 

But look at that collar!!!  And those cuffs!!!

I started off by removing the collar!

Other remake thoughts included keeping it attached, but I opted to just get rid of it.  I already have plans of what I'd like to craft it into next...

Same deal with the cuffs.

I trimmed the sleeves shorter...

...and had some lovely excess pieces leftover!

I pinned down the neck in preparation for sewing a clean-styled scoop...

...before cutting off a small chunk of the length.

Next, I pinned the excess length together to form a sash before sewing.  This is going to come in handy for a little embellishment!

I stitched the ends of the sleeves and the neckline...

...and tweaked the hem and new sash as well...

...before having a brand new dress to wear!!

I styled this dress two different ways.

For the first look that you'll see today, I tied the excess piece of skirt into a bow and pinned it to the top center part of the dress.

I wanted this to maintain a vintage appeal, so I added some patent flats (here are the non-patent version from ModCloth for $29), a vintage black suede clutch, and some retro-looking shades.  (As retro as they look, they're actually new and from Forever 21 - a total score for less than $6!)

I love the light and dark mix of the dress with the accessories!

I think the bow is adorable!  I would totally add bows to the front of everything, however I'd have to be cool with the nickname Bow Girl as I would most definitely be tagged that by my pals.

Look #1 complete!! Look #2 will be posted tomorrow!

Hannah's NDAD Creation

We're having some springtime temperatures here in Los Angeles - I was in Malibu yesterday celebrating a friend's birthday wearing flip flops and a dress!  I know there's still a Polar Vortex going on in other parts of the world, so to help channel some warm temperatures, this piece from Hannah in the Phillippines is getting some love.  It's exactly what I want to wear next time I'm in the sun!

I got the dress for free from the school where I work. (PS, I'm from the Philippines! Hi everyone!!!). They gave each of us a bag with several pieces of clothes inside.  My students chose the dress for me because they know that I love dresses and think it will look great on me.

When I tried it on, I didn't like the fit especially in the shoulders, the thick neckline, the shirred part in the middle of the dress, and the length. I loved the pattern of the fabric though, so I held onto it and decided to recreate it.

How will Hannah tweak this piece?

I finally got the courage to makeover this piece!  I cut off the sleeves, folded the neckline to make it thinner, and then removed the shirred piece in the center.  I then attached the bottom part of the dress to the bodice. The length was already perfect so I didn't have to do anything else to it.  I added my fave belt at the waist to complete the look and tadah! 

I have a new dress. It's a perfect dress for the warm climate here in the Philippines. :)

I love how your dress turned out, Hannah!  It's making me want to head to the beach.  I love how you tweaked something that didn't quite work into something that fits like a charm.  Your students chose well!  PS -  I love the sandals that you're wearing in the last picture!

Remake: Valentine's Day Ensemble - Stella McCartney Copycat

I posted a little teaser of the dress that my Valentine's Day outfit is coming from.

Fab, yet falling apart, appliqué...

Big ole, wide skirt...

Shoulder pads and mixed skirt lengths...

I've been obsessed with this Stella McCartney dress for forevah or since seeing it as part of her Resort 2014 collection.

I ripped out the page from Marie Claire that featured it last month...

...and couldn't wait to craft my V-Day dress just like Stella's!

With the $1 dress in hand, I got a few supplies (blue and red lace with some interfacing) and got to work!

I removed the skirt portion from the dress with a seam ripper...

...and had this pile o'fabric leftover!!

With the skirt gone, it was time to tweak the ruching.  I thought that once I removed the stitches that made this part of the dress ruched, I would have extra fabric to work with in the tunic that I was hoping to make.

Unfortunately the ruched part was made with two different pieces of the top (big slit down the center)...

...so I made alternative plans and decided to create more of a cropped style in the front...

...and a little mermaid dip in the back.

I pinned down the front and back of the piece and stitched everything in place before getting to the lace portion.

I printed out two stencils of a heart and a pair of lips and trimmed the lace around both templates.  (I taped the lace to the paper stencil to make the trimming easier.)  I trimmed the wrong color at first - I wanted to match the McCartney piece perfectly and go with a blue heart and red lips - so now I have some extra lace bits :)

With the pieces ready to go...

I cut interfacing to match the shape of both pieces...

...ironed the interfacing to the lace pieces...

...removed the backing of the interfacing...

...and then ironed both pieces down directly to my new shirt.

Now how's that for a copycat??

I failed to mention that the Stella McCartney piece is $2180.  Yep, you heard me correctly.

My piece with the dress ($1), the lace ($2-ish for both), and the interfacing ($1) cost me $4 total.

Pretty rad, eh?

Now I can go take a vacation with the $2176 leftover!!

I paired my top with a red camisole underneath, a pair of red Guess heels, a vintage tapestry purse, and my pink Wayfarers.

I am SO rocking this again and again.  This piece is totally not going to be a Valentine's Day only garment.

Keep your eyes peeled Los Angeles...this is my new go-to top!!

PS - For more fun pics in this from the day, head on over to Instagram and Twitter!!