Wednesday, April 14, 2010

What I'm Wearing: Jewel tones

Cardigan: Modcloth
Skirt: Vintage, refashioned by me
Sweatercoat: Anthropologie
Tank: Old Navy
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Modcloth
Necklace: from Tom's Gifts, in Binghamton

I dug this skirt up from the bottom of a big, cardboard SALE! box in my favorite vintage store. It was very long, and very tapered, and five dollars. Not surprisingly, I brought it home. The allure of a beautiful vintage velvet skirt (even a too-small vintage velvet skirt) was too strong to resist. Even I couldn't make it wear-able, I reasoned, the fabric would be fun to use in other projects. And, lest we forget, it was only five dollars.

This story had a very happy ending. I removed the zipper, cut off the waistband, opened the side seams, measured about eighteen inches up from the original hemline, said a brief little prayer, and cut. Re-inserted the zipper. Sewed the side seams back together. Made a facing from some turquoise satin I had on hand, clipped my threads and wiggled into my new favorite skirt.

I love refashions like this, because I really hate hemming. Anyone else? Hemming is such a fussy, time-consuming and completely unavoidable process that doesn't yield great rewards at the end. "Borrowing" the original hem of this skirt, even though I changed every other thing, made me feel sneaky and clever, not unlike a wily fox.

A skirt-wearing fox. So be it. Though velvet is definitely a fall-ish fabric, this skirt is going to get some summer wear.



6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great skirt and great story! I love it when refashioning works out so well!

Danielle and Clint said...

The brown shoes are awesome!

Kristina Strain said...

Ladysaphire-- Thanks! When I saw that fabric, I knew I couldn't pass it up.

Danielle-- Thanks, they've quickly become my faves.

Lisa-Marie said...

I love that skirt! It's gorgeous, well done!

Petrune said...

Thanks for the mention on your blog. I remember that skirt- loved the fabric, but maxi skirts have yet to make a comeback. I'm so glad you were able to turn it into something great!

Kristina Strain said...

Well hi, Petrune! Happy you found my little blog. I posted an outfit with the other skirt I bought that day here.

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