Maxi Dress Makeover

Who doesn't love a makeover? My favorite movies involve makeovers...The Devil Wears Prada, The Dressmaker, etc. etc. I love seeing before and afters whether it's make up, home organization, style, etc. It's all fun! And if I can improve my almost nonexistent sewing skills I might eventually be able to show a more dramatic makeover next time but everyone has to start somewhere. :)

So, here's the dress...

Absolutely hideous isn't it?? I mean, the prints, the sleeves, the awkward length...it's enough to make you turn a bit green. But, this dress came from the Salvation Army thrift store and cost me about $7. And I paid $1 and change for thread so all in all I really can't complain too much. 

I liked the color palette and even though I wasn't keen on the prints I figured, why not? I've been wanting a cover up for when I go to the beach and if I ended up not liking it at least I didn't waste much on it. So I asked my friend if she would give me a sewing lesson and show me how to navigate the altering of this monstrosity. 

Of course during the process we realized it was looking a bit like an 80s Richard Simmon's jumpsuit ensemble. Hence some fun in the mirror. 

I didn't like the length of the skirt so we opened up the sleeves and attached them as a panel at the bottom of the top which I had converted into a racerback. We did cut them so they lost that panty shape. :P It would've been entertaining to just leave it that way, maybe next time. ;)

So here we have the finished project. Nothing that earth shattering but it's longer and breezier and will hopefully work better for the beach when I want to go.

I'm still not nuts about the fit of the top so who knows, maybe I'll keep tweaking it, but for now, I'll leave it. 

I also like the fact that I can opt to wear it as a maxi skirt by tucking the top down. So if I want to show off the results of my Sweat app I totally can. ;)

Well, that's it for this one! Until next time!

Ciao!