Vintage Maxi Dress Refashion

Ever get super excited over something in the thrift store and bring it home and have it morph into something you wouldn't wear? That would be the situation with this vintage maxi dress.

I realize now that it was the print that blinded me to the fact that it's too constricting in the chest area and the wintry turtleneck like mandarin collar without sleeves isn't working for me. Because the print is still so fabulous to me, I gave it a quick makeover instead of recycling.

I made a few simple adjustments to make it suit my style. First thing I did was open up the seam on the center front of the bodice. It was far too high. After ripping it out,  I got seam ripper happy and went for the collar. Because I'm lazy and resourceful, I was able to keep most of the stitching intact and only had to tack the shoulders. I tucked the front bodice in to form a V shape neckline. I used hem tape to keep the tucks in place.

The dress was always a little short on me. I looked at the bottom hem and discovered it had been taken up a couple of inches. Ripped those stitches out and it was the perfect length. Long but no fear of getting tangled in the excess or scraping up all the dirt on the ground.

It seems (ha!) somewhat complicated if you don't sew but it really isn't. It's very quick and easy to do and the perfect way to get more out of your wardrobe (reduce, reuse, recycle).

If you're new to refashion, just remember to:

Refashion Basics 

1. Always look to the seam line to figure out what easy changes you can make.
2. Keep a seam ripper, scissors, needle, and thread around.
3. Start with knit fabrics (like t-shirts) because the fabric won't unravel when you rip out the seam.
4. Follow a few of these refashion queens for tutorials and inspirations.

Are you a yay or a nay on refashion?

THRIFT vintage maxi dress RETAIL Carlos sandals FREE Modahnik clutch - necklace

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