Rebecca’s Mysteriously Censored Reader ReFash
In my last refashion, a question came up that I’m going to address here.
“How do you know when you can turn a garment around and make the back the front of your new refash?”
First off, let’s look at this example by Rebecca:
You inspired me to upcycle some old strange clothes i had in my closet. One of them is this skirt here:
Sorry for the face at the before photo but it was so ugly…
Thank you 🙂
I find it impossible to believe that Rebecca could possibly look anything but very pretty. Therefore, I’m assuming the before pic is indeed Rebecca, and that she didn’t kidnap a lady off the street who was wearing a frumpy frock. It would be a cruel thing indeed to make your kidnapee stand against a wall for a “before” picture and make them watch you refashion their dull dress into your own cute “after” and then just leave them naked and crying in the woods somewhere.
That just wouldn’t be cool, so I’m going to assume that Rebecca didn’t do that. *raises one eyebrow*
CSI storyline aside, This is a great example of how to turn a dress around, both style-wise and literally.
The biggest thing you need to look out for is bust darts. If a piece is heavily tailored to fit in the front, you can take in the darts to reduce the curve to a point, but your task will be much lighter with a piece like Rebecca’s, where the front and the back are tailored (or not) in about the same way.
Another thing to look at is the slope of the shoulders. If the shoulders are situated very far back (think perfect posture), they might look funny and slumpy when turned around. However, if the shoulders are sort of in the middle of your body, they should work fine either way. Most people’s shoulders actually slump forward very slightly, so sometimes this can make your clothes fit better (think of vintage Chanel suits that were the first to really accommodate for how a woman’s shoulders typically are.
I hope this helps answer this question. 🙂
And thanks to Rebecca for your awesome refashion! I love the new V-back. You look lovely.
Cheers!
12 Comments
Adventures of Making
Oh, I have a dress just like that!! I believe it belonged to my grandmother once, so I didn’t dare to put my scissors in it, and now it has been hanging in my wardrobe for ages… This is an excellent way to deal with it without making having to alter it dramatically. Thanks for the idea!
And I can feel you, Rebecca; Jillian also inspired me to start refashioning and blogging again.
Cheers!
Cassandra
I miss the Refashionista….. hope she’s okay!!
jenny_o
Excellent refashion!
And good tips for making the front/back decision – very helpful.
Wendylowther
Is anyone old enough to remember when we wore cardigans back the front and men’s shirts back the front! We thought we looked very smart and with it! Not so sure now!
Cheryl
Omg. I almost forgot about that but I certainly do remember that.
Catherine
What you don’t want boob darts on your back? Cute refashion.
http://buildinglifelongreaders.blogspot.com/2016/02/im-hungry-dinosaur-by-janeen-brian-and.html
Kristin
I love the nod to vintage Chanel – not only funny but educational! Not being a fashion guru, I had no idea about that 🙂
GirlFriday
You are hilarious!
awesomesauciness
One way I can tell is how it feels. If the dress feels like I’ve put it on wrong when I turn it around, I figure it’s just not going to work.
Lori Nevin
Really good advice. I’ve got some older dresses that need an update. These tips will come in handy.
Judy
Not only are you very creative, but you have such a great sense of humor. I love reading anything that you write. Oh a side note…..I used an onion bag for a food scraper thing?(name?) it works great. My hubby said, “Did you learn about that from the re-fashionista?” 🙂
Madame yes
You’ve made me laugh hysterically with this post. I’m going to watch out if I ever see Rebecca and I happen to be wearing a very frumpy frock. I love her refash, and your advice on this topic is very helpful. thanks for an awesome post, yet again!