Petal Potential

These 'seeing potential in the thrift store' posts are fast becoming my favourite things to put up on the blog. And not because while we are in a deep freeze it's nice to take pictures inside and also not because since I started taking pics for my fledgling Etsy store, I have gotten pretty efficient at self snaps. It is just too fun to give something a second chance and make it work...

I got a little carried away with this dress and before I even did the 'before' shot, I took out the rather substantial shoulder pads. It's not even that bad of a 'before' item, it's that between the shoulder pads and the polka dot (hard to see but it's there) and floral pattern, it had a really strong 80's vibe.

But let's first talk about why I picked up the dress...

Mostly because it's silk. Ha. I am such a sucker for a good fabric, a high end material will always get a second look from me. The dress feels amazing and the perfect godets of fabric added to the skirt (which I remember from 1st year university take great skill to sew in so perfectly... not that I sewed them in perfectly, I was happy to get a passing mark) make it so full and swingey. The watercolour-esque floral print is cheery and pretty and I knew this dress deserved a chance.

It doesn't take that much to make this dress work anyway. The removal of the shoulder pads left a bit of excess material under the arms so I could either do an alteration to the under arm or I could just roll up the sleeve to give  it a slouchy look.

I love long sleeves on a dress but if that dress has a lot going on, the easiest way to simplify and update the look, is to push up the sleeves. A glimpse of wrist is a beautiful thing;) I know I've mentioned this before and it's hard to explain exactly why it works but it just does. The same thing can be applied to bulky boyfriend blazers, a turned up cuff changes everything.

I finished the look with a big flashy vintage belt. It breaks up the pattern on the dress, defines the waist and acts as a fun contrast to all that floral sweetness. 

Not going to lie, I love how this turned out (vintage belt and thrifted Nine West shoes). It is only appropriate that I now start to wax on about the long awaited arrival of spring. 

If only so I can wear this out of the house...