Tuesday, June 12, 2012

My Marilyn dress


Lately, it seems as though I only get the ambition to refashion something when I have a big date night with my husband in my near future. After 10 years of marriage with 2 kids, I need date nights to be as special as possible! It definitely helps if I have a dress that makes me feel beautiful and sexy. For my husband’s birthday dinner, I decided to refashion this dress.



I got this Eliza J dress at my local Savers, new with tags on, for about $10.  I fell in love with the shiny fabric and the midnight blue color, but was a bit confused by the strange ties on the front. Finally, I figured out how you are supposed to wrap it. The left tie goes across the waist, under the right tie and through a small slot, then the right one goes on top and they meet in the back. I think.


I liked what the wrap effect did for my figure, but the sleeves were oddly tight and the length was all wrong. So I started by removing the sleeves and shortening the hem to knee length. From there, I decided to make it into a halter dress, as it has been pretty hot on occasion here in Illinois. Also, I wanted to show some skin - tastefully, of course.

I ripped out the seams at the top of the shoulders and stitched the raw edges at front edges of the armholes. I used a gathering stitch along the top of the front shoulder pieces and attached ties made from the excess hem material. Trying it on, I tucked in the extra back material to see how low I wanted it to go. I stitched it across the back at the right level and cut off the excess fabric from the inside. Here’s how the dress turned out.


I am so happy with it. I was able to maintain the gathering in the front and keep the chest fairly covered up, making the open back even more eye-catching. My husband definitely approved. When I was wearing it, I felt a bit like Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch, only in blue and without the wardrobe malfunction!


What do you think?





8 comments:

Hawk3ye said...

Beautiful!! What a great idea for the back. Love the color too.

Unknown said...

Very nice! Makes me want to see what I can do with my out dated wardrobe.

Mary said...

It looks fantastic! Great job!!

snippa said...

That's such a stylish re-fashion. Thanks for sharing the detail.

Bat Ma'am said...

Adorable!! Very sexy for date night, love it!

Nettie said...

Amazing!! You worked magic with that dress and you look fantastic in it!!

amykalbster said...

Thanks, everybody! I am pretty proud of this one!

La La Lauren!!! said...

Sqee! I love this dress! :) Great job!

LaLaLauren EOD