Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Odd Ensemble Refashion Part 1: Nun dress to Party dress

I bought this odd ensemble from a thrift store a couple of months ago. I can see why no one was interested in it. It's like someone in the design department just gave up and had the manufacturer tacked 2 completely separate dresses together at the shoulders and under the arms. It was only a few dollars and I thought what a bargain for 2 good size separate cotton knit dresses in colours that I like!

I took apart the 2 dresses (just a few threads) and started working on the black dress first. My hubby saw me wearing it and asked me if it was a nun's dress. I knew that the dress was crying out to go to a party! LOL!

First I chopped off the dress at above the knee. It was already looking a lot better. Next I changed the mock neck into a boat neck. I sewed a piece of clear elastic at the neckline with a zig-zag stitch to prevent it from stretching further. I also reduce the back width by 3cm.


I couldn't decide how to embellish the dress. I wanted to use what I already have in my stash instead of buying some new trims. So I decided to move the year back to 2011 and try to embellish the neckline with......safety pins! I actually don't have enough safety pins so the neckline looks a bit sad and sparse. I guess I have to buy some more safety pins after all. I figured that the safety pin embellishment is not too permanent - if I decide to change the neckline later I can easily do that.

So what do you think? Too DIY looking? Too 2011 all over again? Or passable as a party dress?

4 comments:

  1. Nice idea. I am not the wearer so safety pins don't work for me. Yet I think it adds something to the dress. You might consider decorative stitches on your sewing machine and gray, white or metallic thread. The dress does look much better than the original blah black dress.

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    1. Thanks for your comment Linda. I am still on the fence about this safety pin embellishment. Good thing it's not permanent. The dress is definitely not child friendly though.

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  2. I like it. It's a conversational neckline. People will cross a room to see what shiny embellishment you have on your dress. I also like how the safety pins AREN'T permanent. It means you can wear it more than one way!

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    1. Thanks Michele! I think I just have to buy more safety pins to bulk up the embellishment a bit more. I guess I'll have to buy some stuff from the store after all.

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