Little did I realize my go-to hairstyle for when I’m working at home would match the era of this frock so perfectly.
Yes. Very 1980’s indeed.
Let’s go down the list of things I dislike in this dress, shall we?
The neck is much too tight, the cut is unflattering, and I reallllly dislike the fullness of that skirt with the print at the angle it is. :/
But there’s plenty to like here too! The fabric is soft, warm, and comfy. The blues are of pretty enough hues, and I like those elastic wrist cuffs.
But how to get this dress into a shape that I actually like and find flattering?
First, I was happy to see the elastic in the waist lived in a casing, rather than stitched in. That made the act of removing it super easy!
Next, I took a grey dress from my closet (that I love the fit of) and traced around it with tailor’s chalk.
I left a little extra room as the fabric of the grey dress has more elasticity than the blue dress.
The sides got stitched up.
I snipped off the sides…
…as well as a couple of super flimsy shoulder pads I found.
I chopped a bit more off the bottom and pinned my new hem.
Then, I stitched it down.
I also picked the tag off from the back.
With the back as the new front, I was able to unzip it a bit to give myself a little more breathing room.
I think the zipper works really well front and center!
My new frock enjoyed a glass of wine with a good pal as we chatted about an upcoming trip! 🙂
Cheers!
