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A Daring Dessert Dress Refashion

Merry Christmas to Y'all: A No-Sew Dress Refashion
Danika's Reader ReFash!

My favorite thing about the holidays is getting together with friends.  

When my friends Fredric and Sandy invited me over for their Christmas Dessert Party, I, of course, said yes. Dessert + Party?  Oh yeah!

Sadly, the only party attire I could scrounge up was this:

80s dress refashion before
Those SLEEVES! The horror!

What the what?!?  I look like I just stepped out of a Dynasty rerun!

I IMMEDIATELY removed those shoulder pads…

large shoulder pad
Big honkin pad!

…but quickly realized that shoulder situation was even more complicated than I had originally thought!

fluffy shoulder padding
Fluffy things!

More poufage had to go!  It took a while to unpick the seams of the sleeves, but it was well worth it.

seam ripping sleeves off '80s dress
Pick. Pick. Pick….etc.
removed shoulder pads
Later losers!

Whew!  Now we’re getting somewhere.

I pinned those raw edges from where I removed the sleeves under…

pinned armholes for refashion
Pinned!

…then I stitched it all down!

stitching armholes for refashion
Whirrrr!

Almost done!  

This dress didn’t fit quite cozily enough for my tastes, and I had some huge armholes to take care of.  Luckily this was a two birds/one stone scenario!

I turned my new dress inside-out, plopped it on my dress form, and pinned it to make it just as curve-hugging as I wanted it to be.

'80s dress refashion on dress form being taken in
Shaping up quite nicely!

All that was left to do was sew down those sides!

taking in sides of '80s dress refashion
I was already running late at this point, btw!

…and now that pouftastic atrocity is an LBD fit even for Audrey Hepburn (or at least an Aubrey Hepburn somewhere)! 😉

'80s dress refashion after
I just love a good little black dress! 🙂

I accessorized my new frock with a pretty thrifted belt and a pair of my fave red platforms.

It was great getting to see some of my loveliest friends!

She's the hostess with the mostest!
She’s the hostess with the mostest! 🙂
Hi Ron!
Hi Ron!

I thought I had the most fabulous shoes at the party, until I spied Ron’s hand-painted creations!

shoe comparison
That’s what you do when you spill wine on a pair of white canvas shoes!
refashionista taking photo of shoes
It’s a picture of me taking the previous picture! How meta!
christmas party
Such a happy evening! 🙂
Buckley the Dog
Even Buckley had a great time!

I hope your Holiday Season has also been filled with happiness, loved ones, and good cheer! 🙂

Cheers!

refashionista 80s dress refashion before and after
80s dress refashion before and after pinterest image
Merry Christmas to Y'all: A No-Sew Dress Refashion
Danika's Reader ReFash!

32 thoughts on “A Daring Dessert Dress Refashion”

  1. Everybody needs a LBD, especially for the holidays. Oh, and I love the dog, too. Happy Holidays to you and yours from me and mine.

    Reply
  2. Wow, that was amazing! Or amazeballs as you might say! Thank you for the gift you give us all year long of letting us see your inspiring refashions!
    Merry Christmas!

    Reply
  3. Waw! Just amazing! I’m jealous about this outfit. And the belt…!
    Would also look nice, I think, with black nylons, a pair of pumps and some good glitter accessories 🙂

    Reply
  4. It amazes me in how you can see the potential in an awful dress that most people would pass on by. Great dress refashion! Merry Christmas!

    Reply

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