Fixing a vintage LBD... oh, and my first peplum!

So, I came across this lovely vintage black dress at my local thrift shop a couple of months back, and amazingly enough, it fit perfectly!

And it even came with this super cute bow belt!

The only problem was that there were several small holes in the fabric. Some were just popped seams = easily fixed; others were in the middle of the fabric, but situated so that I immediately had a plan for "fixing" them.

Because the more major holes were along the bottom six inches of the skirt of the dress, I figured a panel of black fabric along that section would not only mask the holes, but also serve to add a subtle detail to this dress. My sister-in-law, not long after, donated a bag of fabric which included a couple of yards of a thin (polyester) fabric that was similar to the fabric on the buttons seen here:

So, I cut out a piece of fabric equal to the circumference of the bottom of the skirt (plus a couple inches) and around 8 inches in length (since the holes sat around 5 inches from the bottom). I pinned this to the bottom of the dress and sewed it in place, leaving the back open, so as to create a slit in the back. (I had to unpick the seam of the dress here to create this slit).

The other hole (on the arm) I simply stitched shut and will count on it not being too obvious ;) Once I'd finished fixing the dress so that I could wear it, I decided to try out making a peplum, as this dress and its construction seemed to be asking for one (the seam at the waist just screamed peplum to me)...but it would need to be detachable, as this trend too shall pass :) Now, I simply found a tutorial online on how to measure and  cut out the fabric for a peplum. To make it detachable, I made it long enough to overlap and sewed on some hook and eye closures. Here are a few photos of the process of cutting out the two pieces, sewing black grosgrain along the waist length of the fabric, and what it looks like on the dress!

With the peplum...

Without the peplum...

Personally, I'm loving it with the peplum! I'll have to throw it back on with the bow belt and see if that sways me any ;)

Hope you all enjoy this vintage find and the addition of a trend (aka vintage fashion revisited)! I'm in love with how it turned out and can't wait for a chance to wear it :) Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day to all...show some extra love today to those near and dear, and heck, a few strangers as well!

Peace,
Andrea

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