10 June 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.Sources:
All remixed except bangles
- Blue Cami – Gap
- Brown Cami- Gap
- Skirt- Thrifted, originally from F21, altered by me
- Belt- BR Outlet
- Bangles – San Francisco Souvenir from S.
Endnotes:
The weather is still pretty hot and humid here so tanks and skirts or sleeveless dresses are dominating my wardrobe these days.
I’ve written a bit about the role of accessories in my wardrobe and asked for your feedback as well. Many of you mentioned building outfits around an accessory, most often shoes it seems. I received these lovely bracelets from S. as a gift from San Francisco and knew I just had to wear them right away. This outfit was built around these beautiful wooden bangles:
Bangles from S., originally uploaded by academichic.The skirt I am wearing was a little (impromptu and hasty) DIY project; I cut the top off of a thrifted dress. I wore this piece as a dress back in March and wrote about my many problems with it, not the least of which was that it was just too short for my comfort level. I literally took a pair of scissors and cut right above where the elastic empire waist used to be. It now has to sit pretty high on my wist to be the right length, which means, I end up with an unsightly bulge around my middle. It also, rather unflatteringly, bubbles out form the elastic, giving me a large puffy rear!
I still love this pattern and am not yet giving up and turing it into scrap for another baby onesie. But, I need help form all you creative readers out there. Any ideas? Here is its current iteration, in the raw:
DIY, in need of more DIY, originally uploaded by academichic.
I think the easiest kind of skirt to make (with my limited sewing skills) is a wrap skirt. I’m not sure if there is enough fabric in this skirt, so before proceeding see if you think there is enough to overlap and keep you from flashing the world (or maybe you could add a fabric panel in a light blue color)! I would take out one of the side seams (seam ripper) and then finish each edge separately. Then, cut out that elastic at the top. Take the material from the top and cut it into strips that you can sew together to make a waist band that continues off either side of the skirt to make a tie. These directions are awful, but I’m sure you get this picture. The beauty of the wrap skirt is that you don’t have to do any darting or put in any zippers or measure anything accurately to ensure proper fit, you just have to tie it on! This might work (with some modifications)!
If the skirt is loose enough, you could maybe try finishing the top and putting a zipper in the back/side. OR, you could take out the elastic and redo it yourself, which would make it less unflatteringly puffy since you would also be creating an actual waistband.
On a completely unrelated note, I LOVE your hair in this photo!
Oooo, curly!! I LOVE it!!!
My trick with fuller skirts like that is to wear them higher up on my body (and belted, if need be, to keep it on around my waist). The excess of fabric looks more chic on a high-waisted silhouette for some reason, I think.
I do love the pattern of this skirt. It might look better if you remove the elastic, add a zipper and some darts, and finish the waistband. Then you wouldn’t have the bubble issue that comes with elastic.
Love those curls, lady!
You could consider using this skirt as a layering piece, a la Audi. Either cut some long slits into it to alleviate the bubbling, and then layer something beneath, or stick it under another more fitted skirt and let the pattern peek out at the hem.
If you sew some darts into it to smooth out the rear you’ll have that problem solved. If you’re more sewing-savvy than that, it shouldn’t be too difficult to put a zipper in the back and fold over the top to make a waistband.
I’ve done this kind of thing once or twice and it’s pretty straightforward. If it means you’ll end with a piece you will like and wear, it’s worth a shot!
Love the print. My sewing skills are limited and so I can’t add anything to what the others have already commented. What I can say though is that, I think it would look nicer if it’s shorter. :)
What a pretty print. I agree with the other commenters on taking out the elastic. You could either make a straight skirt (add darts) or cut it into an A-line. Or you might try to sew the skirt (without the elastic) to a t-shirt or top so that you get a dress again.
If all else fails you can turn it into a scarf or a pretty bag. There are lots of free patterns in blogland for the most beautiful bags.
[...] from another necklace (a trick I have used before). This was a much easier and faster DIY than fixing that skirt and I think gave the outfit the special touch it needed! A Earring as necklace, originally [...]