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Monday, July 29, 2013

pretty problems


Ann Taylor silk buttondown, thrifted
Velvet Heart jeggings, Ross
earrings,free
Capelli scarf, zulily

           Do you ever find something lovely at the thrift store that is strangely constructed? What drew me to this shirt is that it is navy blue, made of a nicely textured silk, and has knot buttons. The strangeness includes the fact that those pretty buttons stop halfway down the shirt, which means that with a lower-waisted bottom, I am in danger of flashing my midriff whenever I stretch or the wind blows.  The shape of the hem is interesting, too -- for the length, the side curves are really high up. Third, the cuffs have buttonholes but no sign of a button. Lastly, this is a size 8, which means I'm venturing beyond the territory of pleasingly slouchy (dangerous territory for short people) into the kingdom of That Shirt is Way Too Big for Her.

I'm only laughing because I don't know that my midriff is showing ... 
     
         The great thing about thrifting is the freedom it gives me to hack into - I mean, refashion - something more to my liking. Silk charmeuse at the fabric store runs $30 a yard, which means I would probably buy it and then agonize over it for years, worrying that one slip of the scissors will lead to ruination. This silk shirt at Goodwill cost me about $5, which means that if I botch the  alterations, I won't have lost much.

     
 Possible alterations:
  • add a snap or two below the last knot button to cover up my midriff
  • cut off the cuffs and repurpose them as tabs to hold up the rolled and shortened sleeves
  • slim the sides near the armpit and sleeves (that armpit area is where it's most obvious how big the shirt is)
  • shorten the shirt, keeping the general hem shape but making the front and back shorter. I'm not quite decided on this, since I like the length for wearing with skinny-fit bottoms. I think a longer shirt with a skinny bottom is slimming (covers up the hips and rear) and also makes me feel less exposed. 

 
        What's something pretty but strangely constructed that you've thrifted/bought lately? Or are you better than I am at resisting such problematic items?

2 comments:

  1. I have a thermal dress. It's an empire waist dress that snaps closed in front, that is made of that thermal long sleeve shirt material. Some fancy brand called Hard Tail Forever that I thrifted. Ended up doing a similar thing to what you're talking about- adding snaps that close it all the way down, because it had a disturbing tendency to float like a sail on the wind.

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  2. Aya - have you featured the Hard Tail dress on your blog? Would love to see it. :)
    That's the great thing about being able to sew - a few stitches here and there can make such a big difference in the fit and comfort of a garment. I really like the idea of taking the shirt in at the waist just a bit. :)

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