Refashion Co-op: 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!