Tuesday, August 9, 2011

what I wore: upcycled old lady skirt

I've been holding onto pictures of this project for much too long and decided to take the plunge and post them! A while back Lindsay and I went thrift shopping over on the north shore and I picked up two "need a lot of work but only cost about $3" skirts I was determined to make over. The first one just needed a simple hemming job (which I did and wore as part of my Harry Potter costume back in July). The second skirt needed a little more work. Lindsay laughed at me and was not convinced I could pull off such an old lady piece of clothing, but I think I managed. Behold the transformation:


Ahha! So much better! My biggest goal was to take the perpendicular patterned pockets off since they added way too much attention to my already large hips/bum. Then I just had to take it in a smidge and hem it! To my surprise the hem had already been taken up by the previous owner:


Could you imagine how long it must have been to begin with? I bet it was floor length on some little old short lady (in case you didn't know, I have monstrously long legs). Percy also decided he wanted to help:


After a little sewing session at mom's house (a place with a plethora of matching thread colours to use, proper sewing machine needles, and a spot big enough to iron and sew in), it was time for one of my favourite "make your clothes look brand new" tools - the fuzz buster:


Now I'm not sure if "fuzz buster" is the technical term, but if you don't have one of these babies they are worth the investment! It is like an electric razor for your clothes that does wonders to pilled and pulled fuzz bits that accumulate on your fabric after tons of use. Hooray! Instantly turn one worn out skirt back into brand new condition! Now it is time to head back to mom's house to take pictures in her garden:


Isn't her yard amazing? Much better than our "we're growing a weedy meadow in protest of the awful lawn mower our landlord has" backdrop that is available at our house right now. Once again - Percy wanted to join in:


Too bad you're an indoor cat Stinkums! Now off to the outfit pictures:


Outfit details: v-neck white tshirt = joe fresh, teal belt = some store on main street in vancouver, upcycled old lady skirt = penny pinchers and then reworked by me, necklace = horn of plenty, leather watch = fossil, leather clutch = bonspiel creation, flats = aldo

Okay, so I am still new to the world of outfit fashion blogging, but I do love sharing my clothing choices with you and I did want to make sure someone else would agree that this was a successful skirt transformation! I also really wanted to do an outfit post where I am wearing (and pulling off) my new mustard tights, but sadly (ok, not really sadly) the summer weather is just too nice for covered up legs! Looks like those will have to wait for the fall. For now I will be enjoying my upcycled creation! I am also really enjoying the high waisted look for my tiny little torso (I feel like that second picture makes my body go from chest to legs)! Woo! What do you think? Have you ever adventured into thrift shopping altered clothes?

5 comments:

  1. Seeing it done makes a difference. I like it, and with the belt! Best ever! This post reminds me of a little two piece I bought on said thrift store trip....When are we going to hem that sucker?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I want to know where you got your fuzz buster as I have misplaced mine. Plus I love what you did to refurbish your skirt.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm just not indie enough to really dig that outfit, but I will admit that it looks about a million percent better afterwards. I'm not sold on mustard tights either, so I wish you'd shown us what those look like. Guess I'll have to wait until the fall! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow it looks great! you did a nice job, and the fabric is perfect <3
    I want the fuzz buster so bad! I really need one...
    Have a wonderful tuesday crafty girl(;

    Carmila Ponycat

    ReplyDelete
  5. Aaw, it turned out so great! :) Good job!! I wore a thrifted $2 skirt that I hemmed today, too - he he. Great minds think alike!

    ReplyDelete