I’m always on the lookout for the beginning raw materials I can upscale into statement pieces for my wardrobe or home. In preparation for this trip I visited my favorite thrifts shops and made 3 great finds. Here’s the inventory: One oversized men’s plaid shirt, one 90’s-era blazer that was about 3 sizes too large but well constructed and fully lined in a soft, crushed taupe linen, and a cute ballet flat.
After some time with the sewing machine and hand needles they’ve been restyled and updated. I put casings slightly above my natural waist in the shirt and the blazer and pulled drawstrings through to ruche in the fullness. A sporty elastic drawstring was chosen for the plaid shirt, and I rolled the too-long sleeves to make a shirt jacket. This will be perfect for cool spring weather. For the linen jacket I inserted a light brown velvet ribbon for a drawstring then knotted it to hold the gathers and finish off the ends. For the too-long, too-full sleeves,I removed the button plackets at the cuffs and inserted an elastic casing making blousy, bracelet length sleeves. The ballet flats were adorned with bead clusters from a deconstructed necklace and pink velvet ankle laces were pulled through the casing loop at the heel.
TaDa!
