Sew Sunday: Men's Shirt to Women's Skirt

Before

So earlier this year I thrifted this buttondown for the DH. It is a Born brand heavy bamboo/cotton denim in a desaturated brown. I adored every bit of it. It even had elbow patches! He hasn't worn it since I bought it, and since he lost his job, doesn't wear any of his collared shirts. Lately it's been a trend around the blog-o-sphere to tie a men's shirt into a skirt/sleeveless top, but I couldn't get it to work with any of the shirts around the house. All the sleeves were too short or the buttons didn't button at the right spot. So I did the next best thing by liberating this thrifted (for 99p) shirt from D's closet and turned it into a skirt.

I'd love to give you a tutorial of my own making, but I used this one here with a modification. I gathered my skirt a little differently. I used the brown buttons to add more coverage, like she did. And I added the shirt pockets back onto the skirt. It's a little haphazard, not a clean as I would like, but hey it's a wearable brown skirt. This project took me about two hours or so of trial and error. I promise it will show up in outfit photos soon, but as I type this post the skirt needs washing to get rid of the stitch holes of the pockets and my mistakes where I had to rip things out. Also keep an eye out for what I did with the rest of the shirt!

Also let me say, this was a labor of love. Love of this fabric. Love of wanting a new skirt. I doubt I will do this again because oh my god sewing makes my back hurt, but I finished it and I can't wait to wear it.

Flash, No Flash, Back

 Click to Embiggen

Rag Lady

 Tunic dress - thrifted

Leggings - Danskin

Socks - gift

Pearl Hart Bellevue Pumps - John Fluevog

Any other thrifters out there feel sorry for the clothes in thrift stores? I find knits with holes or pillings, sandals with a little life left, or t shirts that were once well loved, but eventually sent to donation. I find the pieces with tags still on or in NWOT condition, and I think of the life that all those clothes went through. Did someone order it online, find it didn't fit and was too lazy? Hated gift? Cherished piece that made that person feel fierce? Sometimes I'll buy an imperfect thrifted piece and take it home to wear it those last few wears. I try not to do this very often, but sometimes I just can't help being drawn to the piece in the first place.

This tunic is a little pilled, I already had to sew up one hole today, but I didn't spend much on it. I wish it was made out of a sturdy cotton jersey instead of a thin acrylic knit. It would have become a big staple. For now, I'm wearing it until it falls apart. I mean, c'mon it matches my favorite pair of socks!!! Also yes those are leggings, a rare thing for me. I wish I had a black pair like this, but they're always sold out everywhere in the brand/size I need. Ah well. Life, it happens.

End of Red

Tank - thrifted

Skirt - Casual Corner's Annex Petite, thrifted, altered 

 Sandals - Van Eli, thrifted

Trek pin - birthday gift from my BFF

Well this is the end of the Unofficial Red Week. The best votes were for pink and red, or pale pink. I only own one pink top which was worn Thursday. If it wasn't boiling hot, I'd totally wear my pink pants with a red top, but it is. Boiling. So the best I got is this vintage skirt with pink, red, orange and purple in it.

Last time I wore this I mentioned that it was originally a dress. I was asked for a Sew Sunday on turning dresses into skirts, but I have to admit this particular dress made it way too dead simple. The top half buttoned up the back, and the skirt part had a zipper.I basically cut the top portion off and folded over some excess fabric (badly) and sewed it down. This trick won't work with 95% of dress-to-skirt transformations.

Pinklive

Cami - Forever 21, thrifted

Capri - Caché, thrifted

Sandals - Nine West, thrifted

Necklaces - assorted 

Yesterday was so much fun. I'm glad we did everything yesterday because I think the stream of brightly sunny days comes to and end today. I got hit in this photo by the first of the raindrops, and now it's pouring.

Red week has paled out into pink. I want to wear these capris forever. They're so comfortable, they're rough and tough at the same time. They're the perfect match to the floofy girly tops I always want to buy but feel too frilly in. I have no idea how to finish out this week, any suggestions?

Swimmin and Grillin

 Top - Vera for Kohls, swap

PeddlePushers - Banana Republic, thrifted

Belt - thrifted

Sandals - X-Appeal, thrifted

Yesterday was the birthday of a friend of mine and D's. (That sentence is grammatically wackadoodle) So today we'd doing a little belated get together. I promised the last time we went swimming that I'd grill out instead of heading to a restaurant. While the temps are still sky high, I'm braving the grill anyway. Also it's unofficially Red Week. I've been drawn to all my red clothes lately. This rust colored top is from the swap I just did with Heather of Style Journey. I just love the asymmetrical drapey neckline.

I'm also finally signed up for classes. I'm both excited and dreading it. School gives me great opportunities to dress up and get out of the house, but this summer has been so exciting and busy that I almost don't want it to end! Hope your week is as exciting as mine! What have you done this summer season?

Summery Red Legs

 Tee - 4ever young

Vest - Xhilaration, thrifted

Trousers - Express, thrifted

Sandals - Chinese Laundry, thrifted

The first of my new goodies from Sunday's shopping. I thrifted not one but two pairs of red pants for 99p each. One in a summer weight, the other more for winter. This red linen pant is so breezy. I actually have done this outfit before. Instead of a long sleeved blazer, I mixed it up with a sheer vest and sandals. The linen wrinkles. See this is me not caring. Why? Because I am comfortable. The shirt also has a good percentage of linen so despite being all covered up, the wind breezes straight through. If you'll notice in the previous post, I was babbling about red pants and how much I needed them. The old pair I grew out of (ha!), so I've been hunting another pair. It may take a few months, but I managed to find two! And at a ridiculously cheap price! Keeping items on your list while thrifting is a good idea, but don't lose heart if you don't find them right away. I never find what I'm looking for until I'm not looking for it anymore.

Red pants are a current trend, but they've always been a favorite of mine. Even before exploring fashion, I had a pair of red jeans. Wendy Brandes has numerous Red Legged round ups of bloggers on her blog and her posts on Huffington Post. If you haven't checked them out, why not?

Edit: Forgot to mention, we got a new water heater yesterday, so all is well. =D

Whatta Day

Top, skirt - thrifted

Shoes - Sam and Libby, thrifted

This post is beyond late. Starting this summary up - I visited Mom Saturday intending for the day to be nice and cool. Instead it was miserably hot. The bottom OOTD is what I wore then. It was so hot, I wound up with blisters on my feet. So I've been wearing all of my 'soft' shoes on my tender feet. Sunday I decided to hazard a small thrifting trip. My mom needed a new coffee table and I was on the hunt for a few more transitional season tops. I found both thankfully, so I took the table down to her today and ended up staying for awhile. I'm also neglecting to mention that our hot water heater died today! So that was an unwelcome surprise for this morning.

Top - Express, thrifted

Capri - Target newstock, thrifted

Flats - Louboutin, ebay

I came home to a great surprise though! Heather and I did a small swap last week. She put in her bid for my Closet Orphan dress, and offered two tops in return. For someone constantly in the need of tops (see above!) - I tossed that thing in the mail asap. I can't wait to wear the new tops.

Edit: Also! This post makes 500!! 

Happy Weekend

 

Sorry for the quietness this weekend. I've been stolen away by this gorgeous little girl. My mom's newest outdoor cat (aka neighborhood cats without homes), Annabelle, is a solid black oriental kitty. She's so tiny and sweet. Her ears are huge and gorgeous.  Spike, Mom's ginger indoor cat, has a big crush on her (though he doesn't have the balls to do anything about it, literally). They talk through the door all the time and he rushes up the door to touch noses with her anytime someone opens the door. The above photo is the two having a little visit.

Sammy, Mom's black kitty, isn't as fond of her, so Annabelle stays outside with the rest of the outdoor kitties. But she's possibly one of the sweetest ones, and one of the few who comes looking for people-attention. This is a fashion blog, but I needed a good recap of how I spent this awesome weekend. And c'mon who doesn't love kitty pictures? Back on monday with a more sartorial post.

EBEW: Thrifted Versace

 Tee - Gap

Skirt - Versace Jean Couture, thrifted

Shoes - Fly London

Necklace - via Mom

Bag - Nine West, swap

Stars!

In honor of EBEW, I wanted to wear one of my favorite thrifted pieces. Not only because it's one of the many thrifted designer pieces I've bought, but because it's a star skirt! I paid either $2 or 4 for this, I can't remember, but it was ridiculous. I threw caution to the wind and wear this mini with pride.

This outfit was worn to the post office, and then to the Estee Lauder counter. I got a call for a free skin consult, and figured why not. They also did a full face for me while I was there, showing me tips and tricks. I was pretty pleased with the skin products, but I think for a non-make-up wearer the look was a bit over the top. Plus the foundation turned me orange. ;A;! But the lady was really sweet, and I'll be putting their skin care on my wishlist.

Closet Orphan

Dress - Karen Kane, thrifted

Sandals - Van Eli, thrifted

Belt - Rugged Warehouse

I have a number of dresses, and most of them all have similar elements, colorways, or at least invoke the same style. But this dress (and my pineapple one) are sore thumbs in my closet. I can't give haven't given either one up because they're just so perfect for these super humid, hot days. [Really, Megan? The weather, again?] Besides, this picture doesn't do this swishy dress justice. It's just so fun!

Instead of weather, let's talk about True Blood and how the episodes can not come out fast enough! I've been a totally tv and movie hound this summer. I don't always have a ton of time to watch movies during the semester so I try to make up for it in down time. Speaking of which, summer is slipping away and classes begin in a measly four weeks!

Hiker I am Not

Vest - Old Navy, thrifted

Cami - Forever 21, thrifted

Shorts - Express Blues, thrifted

8R Harness boots - Frye via Amazon Warehouse deals

My MIL asked if I was going hiking in this outfit. Nope! Although, I am totally going swimming today. This outfit is really my alternative Military VS Feminine. I picked up this pink cami thinking it would be good to pair with 'tougher' stuff. This shirt/vest thing was bought because I have a weird vest obsession, and I didn't own an army green vest yet. I feel like my Fryes haven't gotten enough attention, I know this because they still feel as still and hard as they were when I first took them out of the box.

Also some good news, I finally got a new phone! A really real new phone. It's not activated yet, but I'm so excited. It's a pink Samsung Seek! It's been too long since my pink Razr died and I missed it. This post is apparently devoted to my secret obsession of pink (and pink electronics, really I have a pink and green desktop computer). Do you have any colors that you love - but don't wear much?

Louise Brooks

 Hair - Mastercuts, c/o Mom

Dress - Faded Glory

Tee - Gap, thrifted

Sandals - Nine West, thrifted

Freshly cut

My mom has been so awesome since D is no longer employed. She paid to get my ragged locks sheared back into something resembling a hairstyle. I was so tired of the tangled "ducktail" that flipped out and planned to just leave the sides as-is, trim the bangs, and remove the 'tail. I was worried it would come out too childish (if you were a kid who grew up with the helmet-bob, you know what I mean), but after seeing this post over the weekend I was sold on the idea. It's way more cutesy than I normally go for, but I think I like it.

Back, neckline got shaved to create this shape

The outfit is less inspired. I wanted color, loose layers and to wear my new sandals. I wasn't torn up over the white sandals that broke because that very day I thrifted these. I originally wanted a nude/cream sandal when I began the hunt. These weird little sandals were at goodwill for $4. They're not the most foot flattering, but they have a fun heel and great color. Oh and they're Nine West.

Also for the curious, I've been only thrifting sandals because I tear them up very easily. I'm klutzy in anything but a solid shoe or boot and have a tendency to wear out a sandal before the summer is half over.

Best Blog Award

A big thank you to Keely for giving me the Best Blog Award! She's my partner in crime when it comes to Fashion Challenges and the best swap partner. So, I have some rule to follow. Here goes.

Here are the rules:

1. Link back to the person who gave you this award.

Done!

2. Share 7 random things about yourself.

1. I have a weird scar/dimple on my cheek. I'm not really sure what it is.

2. I have OCD. I count, organize, clean and tend to do math for really random things because It Is Needed.

3. I'm going to get a haircut today.

4. I "grew up" with Harry, and so I cried like baby over Harry Potter ending. I'm genuinely 

considering my first tattoo as the Deathly Hallows symbol in honor of the impact of HP on my life.

5. I don't really "get" food trends. Fashion trends yes, but I like my food flavors classic.

6. I love sending and receiving snail mail.

7. I wear contacts, but I really prefer my glasses. I just can't see out of them anymore!

3. Award 15 blogs. ( In no particular order)

I agree with Keely, I award everyone who joined our Challenge. Considering there are nearly 30 of us, I'm using her list!

1. Megan of Megan Mae Daily
2. Keely of Casual Chic Kiki
3. Heather of H&K Style Journey
4. Tiffany of Breakfast with Tiffany
5. Twills of The Vanity Project
6. Whitney of Between The Lines
7. Sweet Momiji of Momiji's Madness
8. Ianiza of Getting Fine (Fashion and More)
9. Jen of Jen Hemming and Hawing Again
10. Claire of Spinning Threads
11. Tamding of The Girl With The Pink Pumps
12. Anne m bray of Spy Girl
13. Callie of Unladylike
14. Tammy of Silverstyle
15. Julie of OAGJ
16. Piper Alexander of Cheap & Chic in Chicago
17. Shelly of GS Lillian Daily
18. Kari of The Chronicles of Lady K
19. Marie-Eve of A Pretty Nest
20. Danielle of MyAttemptAtSucce.../Story of Danielle
21. Lovely~~~Imperfections of L~~~~I
22. Kasmira of What I Wore 2Day
23. SheWhoAccessorizesWell of She Accessorizes Well (Participating Tuesday)
24. FranniePantz of FranniePantz
25. Heather of Life of a Passeri
26. Fashion Confessions of a Mommy of Fashion Confessions of a Mommy

4. Answer the following questions:

a. Your favorite song

Bris by Kaizer's Orchestra

b. Your favorite dessert

Lemon cream cake with a cappuccino

c. What is pissing you off

My stupid phone(s) that keep breaking. I'm without one again

d. When you are upset, you:

Get angry. 

e. Your favorite pet

My smooshy old man of a cat, Gomez.

My mom's adorable fur-babes Spike and Sammypants.

f. Black or White

Black

g. Biggest fear

Losing my memory/my ability for speech (see aphasia: some scary stuff)

h. Best feature

My feet

i. Everyday Attitude

Anxious, frazzled, but generally pleased

j. What is perfection

Order

k. Guilty pleasure

Buying things. I love shopping even though I don't need to. Oh and Lofthouse cookies. They can't possibly be anything resembling real food, but - *nomnomnomnom*

Summer Trends: Round Up

Which Day Was Your Favourite?
	Monday: Stripes VS Floral
	Tuesday: Military VS Feminine
	Wednesday: Sparkle for Day
	Thursday: Eclectic Prints
	Friday: Go Neutral
	Saturday: Bright Bottoms
pollcode.com free polls

Summer Trends: Bright Bottom

Top - BCX, thrifted

Belt - DIY'd

Skirt - thrifted, no tag

Shoes - Sam and Libby, thrifted

Raspberry! Fuschia! Ahh I normally hate this color because it clashes worst with my orange-red hair. I bought this skirt 1. because it was $2 and I need good layering skirts for this winter and 2. because if I wear colors I normally can't wear away from my face - I can still enjoy them. I originally planned to wear my red silk skirt, but I wanted something more in tune with comfort. This felt kind of boring so I decided to go polka dot to the max and add my DIY'd covered belt.

Tomorrow my mom has kindly offered to pay for me a haircut. I've held off for a long while because I'm trying to grow my locks back out, but they're rather ragged after growing from pixie length. Wish me luck!

Also if you participated in Summer Trends and want to be included in a round up post over on Casual Chic Kiki, make sure you send Keely (kkmkreations[at]live.com) your favorite photo and what your challenge day was!

Summer Trends: Neutrals

Dress - All Saints
Pumps - Michael Antonio, thrifted
Necklace - assorted

Go Neutral! Summer neutral this year has been all about metallics and white. And thinking about white makes me want to wear this dress. Forever. I finally managed to snap a shot of the back. My favorite thing about All Saints pieces is how three-dimensional they are. They're designed all the way around, texture, layers, details. I kept the pieces simple. These semi-recently thrifted NotForWalking pumps made the perfect pairing. They're silver with tapestry like heels. I was flabbergasted that the size 5.5 shoe fit me! My other pair of Michael Antonio shoes (red gladiator sandals) are also a 5.5 come to think of it.

TODAY IS HARRY POTTER 7 PART II!!! Are you a Harry Potter fan? How do you feel about the series coming to a final end? I'll be seeing it the first showing this afternoon.

Not a Potterhead, but a fashion fan? Check out the other participants of Fashion Challenge: Summer Trends.

4 inches with no platform, but they're oh so pretty!

Summer Trends: Eclectic Print

Top - Express, thrifted

Belt - thrifted

Skirt - Miss Me, thrifted

Shoes - Liz Claiborne, thrifted

Yipes it is hot! Today is about Eclectic Prints. Runways have seen prints all over the spectrum, and today is about tossing on your favorite print. This twisted plaid is about as eclectic as I get. Someone suggested I pair it with white. The "white" in the skirt is really almost a khaki, but I think the white shoes helped balance it. The unfortunate thing is the elastic on the inner strap broke. Booo. I guess for $3 shoes they were more than worth it. I've worn them at least 15 times, 7 on the blog. (PPW: $3/15 = 20 cents per wear, not bad!)

I also accidentally washed this top with a red piece of clothing. The good news - I was able to get it white again. I'm glad because this is such a fun summer top. Plus all these items were thrifted so that makes this outfit cost under $20 total.

Fashion Challengeis chugging along full steam. We have tons of awesome participants you should check out. They're pretty amazing, so check 'em out!

Summer Trends: Sparkle for Day

Tunic - Cynthia Rowley, swapped

Skirt - Skirt - Hecho Mano, thrifted

Pumps - Paris Attentions, John Fluevog

Wrist cuff (on left wrist) - homegrown vintage via Mom

Sparkle and Shine! I hope everyone is enjoying their Disco Ball of a Day. I swapped my sheer tunic with Keely for this amazing tiger striped sequin tunic. Seriously sequined tigers! I took this skirt and turned it around so the 'tail' was in the back, creating a hi-low look. Speaking of hi-low, the ever amazing Wendy Brandes featured me on the Huffington post in her round up of "mullet dresses".

I also want to say a hello to my new followers and welcome to Fashion Challenge. I hope you're enjoying Summer Trends and hope you check out our awesome participants!

Summer Trends: Military VS Feminine

 Lace top - gift

Vest - All Saints

Harness - Audra Jean 

Capri - Caché, thrifted

Pump Sandals - X-Appeal, thrifted

Military VS Feminine. I didn't really have a lot of "military" pieces. I've wanted a canvas jacket, don't own cargoes or anything really military. Until I came across these incredible capri pants at Goodwill a couple weeks ago. They have these awesome button and braid details. Less modern military, but still counts, I think. Added a lace top, my shredded All Saints vest, and my loverly harness. The harness is military right?

The Doodle didn't turn out exactly like the final outfit. It rained, cooling the day off to allow for layers. Which in my opinion is a good thing. I've had a number of inquiries about my Doodles, so I've decided to put up a page here to explain about them.

Woo! Fashion Challenge has grown exponentially. Late comers are always welcome. We have tons of participants already. Have you checked them out? They're pretty amazing, so you should!

Summer Trends: Floral and Stripes

 Shirt, skirt - H&M, thrifted

Sandals - Michael Antonio

Welcome to the first day of Fashion Challenge: Summer Trends! Floral and Stripes. There's inspiration here and here if you're looking to play along but are stumped. I decided to pair these two H&M pieces. This is almost funny because I thrifted both items at different times and never thought to put them together. The best part? We don't have an H&M local. Thanks, Goodwill.

I also decided to do doodles to help me plan for the week, only a heat wave hit so if the doodles look kind of messy - it's because I've had to change around a ton of things. It's just too hot to wear everything I originally planned.

Sunny Yellow Weekend EBEW

Dress - All SaintsBoots - John Fluevog, ebay

This weekend was all about yellow. The heat index has flown right up. So I wore this black dress, of course. In reality, it's very thin cotton so it was nice and cool. I had to add the bright yellow boots because I didn't think I could stand a belt. I wore this to run by the thrift store. I gave up and bought shorts. I got two pairs. It's just too hot to wear jeans and capris all the time.

 Tunic - INC, swap

Shorts - Express Blues, thrifted

Flats - United Nude

Speaking of shorts! I washed everything up asap because I headed to my mom's on Sunday. I wore it with this loose tunic I got from Keely. I've really been into printed stuff like this lately. And eye searing colors. See that bit of silver in the pink tote bag? It's a pair of Sofft flats that I thrifted for my mom! I practically fell over when I saw them. I was so relieved that they fit her. $100 flats? I paid less than $4 with my student discount. They looked like they had never been worn. Super Score!

Also Fashion Challenge starts first thing tomorrow! Are you ready!? I know I am.

Tyed Up

Cardigan - Gap, thrifted

Tank - Target

Jeans - X2 denim laboratory, thrifted

Sandals - Chinese Laundry, thrifted

Is it still Wednesday? No? This outfit is as unimaginative as can be. I woke up with a fuzzy migraine today due to the rolling storms. At least I got the chance to wear these jeans before the heat wave continues. Got these on Super Saturday, I love a good black jean. Anyway the headache went away pretty fast, but I still feel like I'm thinking through molasses. I'm really looking forward to next week. Fashion Challenge, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and swimming!

Any big plans this weekend? Have you joined Fashion Challenge? Don't know what that's about? Check out this link.

Tropical Fish

Dress - NY&Co, thrifted

Top - Attention, thrifted

Flats - United Nude

Bracelets - gifts

Bag - Nine West, swapped

A-CHOO

I wanted to dress like a tropical fish today. I was feeling pretty good until I realized I still don't have a yellow belt. I have a hard time thrifting colorful belts at my goodwill. So I tossed a yellow clip in my hair to make up for it.

The weather is doing that weird super sunny and hot, then flash storm thing. Not an hour after taking photos it's pouring and the tv is warning about flash floods. And if you'd look at the second picture, you'll see what happens to about a third of my summer pictures. I sneeze like crazy.

In other bad news, my cell phone snapped in half yesterday. The good news is my FIL had a back up phone. It's been water damaged, but supposedly still works. Fingers crossed it hangs on until I can afford my own phone plan.

In good news, Fashion Challenge: Summer Trends starts Monday!!! I'm so excited. We have a great list of participants that grows by the day. If you haven't joined up yet, we'd love it if you would. Need some inspiration? Check out this post.