Vintage Look- A modern dress made Vintage

My sweet moma went on a trip to Tennessee several years ago and brought me back this white and black polkadot dress. I immediately loved it, but when I tried it on I was sad. The front V plunged way below my comfort zone. And while the skirt grazed the tops of my knees, the last button was mid-thigh! I wasn't wearing the dress like that, so something had to be done...

I am not a fan of modern lace; I have jars upon jars of antique lace that I add to things as needed. But nothing I had really fit with this dress. Finally, I was at Hobby Lobby and saw this super wide black lace. It made the skirt cover my knees, and I used a 40% coupon for it!

An extra bit of lace was sewn to a piece of scrap cotton and attached to the inside neck of the dress by snaps that I sewed on either side. That took care of the "bosom" problem ;). I didn't care for the tie-belt, and thought about replacing it with a thin black patent one I have. But then I dug up an old Bakelite buckle in a happy red. I just threaded the original belt through and tie it in the back. Often I pick up the color with my red Maryjane heels and one of my Great-granny's red hats.

 These are the Betty Paige shoes I told you about in this POST (just scroll to the bottom of the post). They were my first pair to get, when I was in desperate need of some new black heels. I ordered them in a size 11, because online shopping always tends to run small for me. Happily I had to send them back, because a size ten fits me perfectly in this brand! I love these shoes. They have leather stuffed pads in the toes and heel, plus beautiful ruffling around the edges. (See the link above for pictures)

The heel is high enough to feel very pretty and fancy, but not enough to be painful. They are not ones I would wear for an all day flea marketing, but they are great for church and special occasions. The second pair that I bought, after being so happy with these, are pale blue and have a shorter heel and are incredibly comfortable. For pictures of them, see the post link above. To see where you can buy these shoes on Amazon, click HERE

What looks like a brooch is actually a vintage button that was in a bunch of sewing supplies my dear mother-in-law gave me. It is a shank button, meaning that it just has one big loop in the back to sew it on. This type of button is an excellent option as a brooch, you simply use a safety pin to attach it to your dress.

Here you can see that the distance from the last button to the hem was a good 12 inches! I simply sewed the skirt closed from the waist down, and added the lace hem.

I've been wearing this dress for years now and always have people compliment me on my "vintage" dress. It just goes to show, with a little creativity and effort you can turn something you wouldn't normally wear into a perennial favorite! Have you ever re-made clothing to suit your own style? 

 

*This post contains an affiliate link. That just means that if you click on the link or make a purchase through one, I could receive a few cents in return. It does not cost you even one penny extra for your purchase, but it could give me some to go in my piggy bank! Thank you for supporting my blog and letting me show you things I love!