My mother-in-law went through her closet recently and pulled out a lot of stuff she wanted to get rid of. She asked my daughter if she'd like to come over to see if there was anything she wanted. My daughter and I both found several things that we brought home. We've been busy re-making them into different, more current, fashionable clothing.
The first one I worked on was a long denim skirt. It went almost down to my ankles. I think it must have been from the 80's or 90's. It's a high quality skirt and the top of it fit great. So, I shortened it for a more current and stylish look. It has nice deep pockets on the sides too. I love that! I even had thread that was the perfect color to match the faded yellow on the other parts. Cool!
I wasn't quite sure about this dress. It was a little funny. But, I love denim so much! And, I have a memory of a super cool denim dress I bought in the 90's that I ended up returning because I wasn't sure I'd be brave enough to wear the very fitted style that it was. This dress is different but there was something about it that reminded me of that one. So, I had to go for it. Oh, and a cool side note...not only is it great to be up-cycling old clothing but this dress was made in the USA!
Oh that ruffle! And, the raw, frayed edge! Oy! lol
I removed the ruffle. It turned out that the edge that was left was already surged. That was nice. All I had to do was fold it over and stitch it down. I wasn't quite sure if the tapered look would work or if a hem on the thick denim would even hang right. But, I think it works. As far as the top goes, I opted to just cover it up. It fits funny at the top and there's a tiny hole in the middle that looks like it might have had a flower or something attached at one time. I have plenty of scarves and shawls and several of them looked great. I went with a more summery one for the pics.
Oh, and pics! Yikes! I've been working at being braver to post pics of myself. I've gotten better. It's still weird though and uncomfortable even having my daughter take pics of me. But, I went for it and got a few I'm fairly happy with it. I'm not going to let myself wimp out on posting these! So, here it is....my new, up-cycled, re-fashioned dress...
I've been working on being braver with fashion. There are looks that I love but I tend to go safe. My usual way of dressing is jeans and casual shirts. I'm doing better. So, now, I'm trying to be even braver and trying not to worry about parts of my body showing....like my legs. I've been wearing shorts all summer and even some skirts!
I found these awesome boots a few weeks ago at a thrift shop. I love them! So, I got them and I'm determined to be brave enough to wear them. And, now I have an outfit that goes with them. So, no excuses, right?! Gulp!
I hit the shoe jackpot the day I found these! They were only $5! They're leather and in great shape. I looked up the brand online and found out that these boots were over $100 when they were brand new! These look like they've barely been worn. And, for heels, they're actually pretty comfortable.
I found two other pairs of shoes that day for just $4 for each pair. They're in great shape and look like they've barely been worn too. Those who've seen them think they're high dollar too. I'm still working on finding outfits for them.
They're definitely beyond what I normally wear but I love them. So, that's a perfect reason to be braver and bolder to get to a place where I can wear things like this that I love!
How do you all feel about fashion? Do you stay in a safe zone with what you normally wear? Do you see things you love but aren't sure you could do it? Do you worry about an imperfect body like I do? Are you nervous about trying to be more stylish or letting parts of you show? I'd love to hear how others feel about this.
I've always been SO self conscious about my skinny bird legs. As I've been working lately on being OK with me, I've noticed that there are beautiful people out there with skinny legs. The difference seems to be confidence. That's what I'm attempting to have! I'm trying to love what I've been given and make the best of it. And, besides, I'll never be as young as I am today! So, why keep waiting?! Watch out world, here I come! Gulp!
6 comments:
You look fantastic in pictures! I'm glad you decided to be brave and post them. Great finds on the shoes and boots! Love the dress!
You look so great! LOVE the outfits and the shoes. I get into a fashion rut and sometimes can't get out of it. I teach primary school, so comfort is key.
Your pictures are great - don't hesitate to be photographed. And I'd love to have your so called skinny bird legs any old time.
Great upcycling of the denim - great finds on the boots and shoes. I can't wait to see what outfits you put together to go with those sparkley shoes - love them.
I too have been self-conscious about certain parts of my body. I know what it is to have skinny calves. As an adolescent I was more than a little self-conscious and would try not to draw attention to myself. I wanted to play basketball in basketball but when I made an effort to try out for the team, the coach made a comment about my long legs. I decided, then and there, I would not be caught dead in front of a gym full of people in those short uniforms we had to wear back then. I think you look fabulous in the "new" clothes!
What cute knees you have! :) I think the dress looks terrific and the boots and shoes are so completely awesome! I'm glad you are getting braver - you look wonderful!
You look fabulous! Don't worry about a thing you look great in your new upcycled outfits and you go girl wearing those boots!
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