A Skirt Makeover: Florida Oranges

At the halfway point in my fall Project 333, I'm realizing that I need to get my butt in gear if I want to finish the rest of the refashions before the three months are over! So this weekend, I finished a refashion of one of my Pin Up Girl Clothing Jenny skirts.

The skirt features a super cute orange boarder print that I feel in love with when I first saw it! While I'm sure the designers had California in mind when they selected this print, I thought it would be just perfect for sunny Florida. Yummy!

The skirt is made out of a great stretch cotton but the fabric is really thick. In it's original state, this skirt was gathered instead of pleated. It had been pretty much gathered to the maximum allowed by the fabric. Kudos to PUG for not skimping on fabric but it meant taking in the skirt wasn't going to happen without removing some of the width or changing to pleats.

Plus, the skirt just never seemed as flattering on my figure as I thought it should be. Now I know that a slimmer skirt that is pleated is more flattering for me that a very full, gathered skirt.

And after I saw Lauren of American Duchess do just such a refashion on her orange Jenny skirt this summer, I knew mine would meet the same fate someday. And I'm so happy that I finally did it!

 Oh, I feel like this skirt is just so much more flattering now! You can check out the original skirt paired with this exact same top here.

I have another Jenny skirt that I can't wait to do the same makeover on. Must refashion all of the gathered skirts!

 Do you prefer a gathered or pleated skirt?

Polka Dot Do Over

I adore polka dots! They are so much fun and can really be dressed up or down. Plus polka dots are a hubby approved print so it's a win win in my book.

White with blue polka dots! Navy and white has become my go to color combo. They look great together and since they are both neutrals, you can pair them with pretty much any other color.

This skirt started out as a very cute polka dot dress. But as with any off the rack woven dress, it had some fit issues in the bodice. Between the fit issues and the fact that my bra always showed under the arms, it didn't get worn nearly as much as it should.

 So I did a quick refashion to turn it into a skirt! I just needed a waist band which I made from the bodice fabric. I was even able to salvage the original zipper so the only thing I needed was some interfacing for the waist band.

I also decided to take advantage of the fact that I was taking this dress apart and added pockets. Everything is better with pockets! The remainder of the bodice yielded the fabric for the pockets. Pockets take surprisingly a lot of fabric so I did end up having to piece one of the pockets.

Pockets and twirling are full of win! I've actually worn this skirt a ton since finishing the refashion. It feels so good to give something new life in my closet.

 And I get loads of compliments when I wear it. I guess everyone else loves polka dots too. :D

I feel like this piece really speaks to my style. The overall shape and length say elegant but the print and pockets are all fun and whimsy! There's nothing like wearing clothes that make you feel like you!

I also added my Star Wars rebel necklace for a bit of nerd flair. While I was at work, it occurred to me that this would be a great R2D2 Disney bound. I just need a pair of R2D2 Mickey ears.

 I'll have to keep that in mind for my next Disney adventure. I have gobs of ideas for Disney bounds. It's such a fun thing to do!

What's your thoughts on polka dots? Are they full of win or just too much?

Refashion and a Re-do

Doing Project 333 has really changed the way I look at clothes. I really thought about some of the pieces that I liked in theory but I never quite got around to wearing. Most of them had fabrics I loved but either the fit was off or I had to wear a fancy bra which I'm not willing to do for more than a few hours.

So I picked four pieces to refashion as part of my fall Project 333. If I could make it work, then they'd become keepers. If not, I can say goodbye knowing that I tried. And here is the first one!

This is a fabric that I fell in love with at Jo-Ann's but I couldn't handle the price tag. But I was able to score it for half off in the red tag clearance section. It's first life was as a wearable muslin of Simplicity 8398 which I later used to make a bridesmaid's dress out of a yummy silk cotton.

The main problems with this dress were that it was a bit long waisted, that it was a bit too big (and I never got around to making the matching belt) and that I couldn't wear a normal bra with it. I decided to refashion it into a pleated skirt.

 I'm much more comfortable with novelty prints only on the bottom half of me anyways. I styled it with a lace cami and white blouse for a very girly look.

 Oh, yeah. I also got my hair cut off this weekend. I tried and tried and tried to grow out my hair and make it work with the Florida humidity but it was not to be. It was not going to happen.

Previously, my pixie cut decisions had been very emotional and impulsive. I wanted a change so I got one. This go around I was much more logical and thought out about it. A pixie is very easy and very me. I love the lifestyle that comes with a pixie. Riding with the windows down anyone.

Not to mention that I absolutely love it! I'm planning on keeping it much longer term than any of my previous pixies. Florida Stephanie has her Florida hair back. :D

And because I couldn't find a photo of the back of my head from my previous pixie, here's the back of my head. Now and forever I'll have a great reference for future pixies.

Overall, I feel like this look really captures what I want my wardrobe to feel like- vintage inspired, bold colors, fun and easy.

Now to just finish the rest of the refashions so I have options in my wardrobe again!

P.S. Check out my other piece of new nerd bling. It's a mobius strip with I love you. I know. stamped around it. Yay Star Wars!