I just don’t feel like wearing summery clothes at the moment. The shoes don’t really match, save for the little hint of yellow in the necklace. These shoes are looking very ratty, though. They need a bit of a makeover at the moment.
This is an outfit from last week. I have about 2 pairs of pants that fit me at the moment, and they’re in the wash, so I’ve been wearing dresses and skirts a lot. This might be a bit fancy for the day-to-day, but it was a fun outfit to wear.
I finally got around to altering the second of two shirts I scored for $5 at Target last month. I wanted to complete this before leaving for San Francisco, so having a bit of a deadline for the project was a great motivator.
The theory of tailoring this top was simple. I needed to take up the neckline and take in the sides. It was a bit more daunting because of the slippery fabric and the hem finishes. I had a lot of unpicking to do in order to even get started on the project.
Thank heavens the structure of the top was so simple. I took up the shoulders by 3 inches and took in the sides by 4 inches on each side.
It’s not quite sheer, but it’s really cool and super simple. It’s a fantastic summer top. The color and texture are what attracted me to the top in the first place. I could definitely see myself styling this top for spring, summer, fall and winter.
I think if I were making this top from scratch, I would’ve pressed the bottom pleats better than you can see here. I wonder if my steamer will get the puckering out?
Outfit Details:
A few of you wondered how I took in the neckline, this is a rough sketch of what the refashion looked like. I made sure to unpick hems before taking in any seams. As soon as the seams were right, then I reconstructed the hems. It’s all sort of case-by-case basis, but that’s generally how I work on my refashions.
While at Target the other day, I noticed rows upon rows of clearance racks in the women’s clothing department. That is very dangerous for me. I usually steer clear of that department, because there are too many cute things to tempt me, but I had to take a look to see if there were any screaming deals.
We’re on scrimp and save mode, so I do feel a bit guilty about buying clothes that I don’t need. But this top was $4.50. And the print was just too cute. So now I won’t buy any more clothes until after we move into our new house.
The top was a simple crop in XXL. It was more than a bit too wide, but at the perfect length for a longish crop. It hits right at the top of my jeans. BUT, the back was somehow shorter than the front. How was this?
I added a black block of accordion pleated jersey in the back. This lenghtened the back hem by 3 1/2 inches. So I can comfortably wear this top without my guts showing in the front or the back.
I also pinned a little gathering (true late 80s style) with a yellow heart earring that I have. Earrings make pretty great pins, did you know that?
Outfit Details:
Kate from See Kate Sew made a yellow striped jumper for me. Interestingly enough, she was in Utah last month to hand it to me in person. It was so great to meet her in person! I’ve loved this refashion swap, but the thing that would make it infinitely better is if we were able to make these clothes and swap them all in-person. Project Runway style.
Kate knew how much I love yellow, she did a fantastic job of scoring this light yellow stripe for me. It’s such a fun color!
I don’t wear jumpers, at least I haven’t in a very long time, so it’s fun to have gotten something that pushes me out of my normal comfort zone.
I used to be far more adventurous with my wardrobe than I am now. I was the first in my high school to wear stilettos. I’ll never forget sporting my camel stiletto booties; feeling super self conscious as I clicked and clacked my way down the hall turning heads and I’m sure getting plenty of disgusted looks. I was no popular girl. It’d be safe to say that I was more of a “popular loser”. Most people knew who I was. Probably because I always lugged around my 30 lb portfolio the size of a small bilboard like a security blanket. But I never quite felt like I fit in. My ridiculous pairings of hot-pink golashes with 3-piece suits was my way of keeping the tame people away I guess. Oh what I would give to see snapshots of those outfits I wore back then.
Kate reminded me that I need to be more adventurous with my clothing. So for the next half of the year, that’s going to be my goal.
Outfit details:
Read how to make your own jumper out of a large mens button-up shirt here.
