Selkie Alterations: From Dream Girl to Dream Dress

Well, I've been at it again, because I just can't sit and do nothing for long stretches of time; I have to have a project.  It doesn't have to be hard, although it usually is, but I have to be busy at something.  It's often exhausting, but it's never dull and if forced to choose between busyness or boredom, I choose busyness every single time.  

So, ever since I first saw the Venus print at Selkie last year, I've been wishing they would put it on a dress that I could wear to work or date night, but all I saw were three gorgeously impractical dresses:  The Ritz, the Moonlight, and the Dream Girl.

I did buy and still love the Ritz dress, but haven't had the opportunity to wear anywhere.  I knew this had to change.  So, after much thought I decided to try to alter the Venus Dream Girl dress to something a little more my speed.  

This decision was followed by a months of searching and waiting before I managed to snag a Dream Girl dress on a resale site for a huge bargain.   For over $100 off the retail price, I felt comfortable cutting into and possibly ruining this dress.  Fortunately I didn't ruin it as you can see from the following pic:

The Dream Girl dress runs quite large and the combination floppy/puffy sleeves make layering impossible.  So, my goal was to take in the dress to have a fitted bodice and waist and to change out the sleeves for something a little less bouffant.  

In order to adjust the fit, I took in two inches under each arm and two inches on either side of the zipper for a total of eight inches off the width of the dress.  I could probably have taken off two more, but I didn't want to press my luck.  

As much as I hoped I could install a pre-made corset back to this dress, it was simply too big for that to be feasible although I do hope to put it on my Ritz dress instead since I ordered one that perfectly matches the color of the dress.

The sleeves of this dress were cut off my Moonlight dupe and sewn on by hand. While I can tell that the fabric is slightly darker than the original and one sleeve has a wavy pattern to it that may or may not come out with a good steam, overall, I love the look and I can finally put a sweater over it.

Beyond that, check out this waist, would ya?!  Mostly check out the fact that this dress now has one!  I bought this dress on resale as XS, I could have gone down to XXS and it still would have been quite baggy because that's the style of the dress, but I could hardly believe that 8" had to come off and I love the fit so much better now.  

My clothes need a defined waist.  Baggy clothes make your body do all the work, which is fine if you've got the body for it. I disappear in baggy clothes because I just don't have the top curves to bring balance to my shape which means my clothes need to do all the work for me.    

Before, my shape was falling hopelessly short in this dress and I hated the way it looked on my.  Now I love it, I love the fit and the colors and everything about it, all because of a few small changes that made this Dream Girl dress into just my dream dress.

It's not perfect by any means, I'm not a professional seamstress, though if I keep doing projects like this (I also just finished altering four corsets by hand) I'll certainly keep leveling up.  And, although I spend most of my time cursing my own ambition to keep doing projects like this, by the end, I'm so happy with results that I can't help but do it all over again when the creativity calls.

Shopping Info:  Selkie Venus Dream Girl Dress-$249, belt from Shein, Rekayla Flats from Amazon, XXI Cardi from ThredUp

Give Away What You Need

As autumn approaches this is the time when I start getting out my cool weather clothes and packing away my summer stuff.  This year I've also decided to use this as a time to go through everything and give away anything I no longer like or need.  My ultimate goal is to have a modestly sized wardrobe with only pieces that are loved and get regular wear.  I've made great progress, but  my Selkie obsession has been rather counter productive to a closet cleanout as those floofy dresses take up twice the space and I now own a baker's dozen.  This pretty little acid trip dress in not one that I own, but rather rented from Nuuly and I enjoyed it for a limited time and then happily returned it because I no longer needed it.

All this closet clearing has brought to mind how we tend to get rid of things we don't need, and keep the things we do need, but when it comes to immaterial things the opposite is true.  It's counterintuitive, but utterly true that if you need friendship, you have to give friendship.  If you need love, you have to give love.  If you need generosity and kindness, you have to be generous and kind and in return you will find that the more you give, the more you receive.

If you find that you have an abundance of things you don't want like loneliness, hopelessness, lifelessness, maybe it's time to clean out your life and the best way to get rid of those things is to give away the things you need.  Make your life less about you and more about serving and loving others and you will find that those things you don't want will be replaced by an abundance of everything you need.

 Shopping Info:  Acid Trip Selkie Dress from Nuuly.com

Feelin' Groovy

 Today's post brings with it a groovy new collaboration (please excuse my 60s vernacular, but the situation calls for it.)

When I saw this print, I knew how I would want to style it and I can now say that finally my summer of love dreams of this dress are coming together thanks to these slouchy white boots from my new collaboration with Sungtin and you can save an extra 20% off these lovelies with my code 20LQ8L2E. 

The thing I love most about collaborations is how they get me out of my style ruts.  When a company comes to me with a suggestion for something new to try, my creativity gets flowing and I try things I wouldn't normally think to put together.

These knee high boots fit true to size, are made of soft faux leather and are lined with manmade plush.  Sungtin's boots  draw in lots of super hero cosplayers, but I think they're also pretty perfect for my princessy dresses.

I spent some time playing around with different styles with these boots and the next things I'll try are definitely a mini pencil skirt and a sweater dress.

I've had so much fun trying new styles to go with my new slouchy boots from Sungtin.  I hope this is the first of many great collaborations with them.

Shopping Info:  Sungtin Women's Faux Leather Knee High Flat Slouch Boots-$45.99, Save an extra 20% with code 20LQ8L2E

Citrus Princess Dress-$22

Summer Morning

It's a far different world at five o'clock in the morning than it is a 6 a.m.  This is the summer hour where night and day converge.  At 5 o'clock the chicks are sleeping not cheeping.  The rabbits are still and the chickens are just barely stirring in their coop.  The cats are all out in the night world, and the cars are all resting in garages and yards instead of rumbling down roads.

At 5 o'clock on a summer morning when the great expanse of sky blends from a sliver of pale yellow behind the mountains to a thick swath of dark gray overhead, the only sounds are the leaves brushing against the wind and the cicadas carrying on their concert.

There are no worries in the five o'clock world, no troubles yet, or cares.  It is a stillness beyond the absence of movement and noise, it is a stillness of the soul, a world momentarily at peace with itself and with me.

If I only had one more morning on this earth, one more sunrise to see, I wouldn't wish myself to the far away shores of Portbou or Maya Bay.  I would wish to be right here on a sleepy cool morning in late summer to see the thin sunlight turn to glorious bars of gold.   

I would watch silent five 'clock turn into boisterous six a.m. the moment the old rooster crows and everything stirs to life again.  The chicks start their cheeping and the cats gather at the back door to sing for breakfast. The rabbits stretch their legs then dash.  Cars creep down dirt roads then buzz down the highway and the cicadas retire. Yes, troubles return, and busyness too, but the beauty of the world outshines the cares in this tapestry of time and nature.

Shopping Info:  Baby Pinstripe French Cottage Puff Dress by Selkie from Boho Chic Clothing, Hat from Amazon, Harriseve Flats from Amazon

Changing Styles

I remember watching one of my favorite fashionistas change her style over the decades and feeling a little sad that it changed.  It seemed that for the longest time she wore cute dresses and skirts that I wished were part of my own wardrobe.  Then, at around 50, her style shifted to more trousers and blazers.  She commented on it saying that dresses suddenly weren't as comfortable as they had been in a previous stage of her life.  While I listened with remorse, I could also totally understand the need for a change in uniform as one's role in life changes.

The baby years were spent in graphic tees, cargo jeans, slip-on sneakers, and the occasional cotton sundress, and the considerations for buying my clothes back then were basically what will fit my ever changing body and what do I not mind getting baby drool and spit-up on? That was pretty much it, and it served me well during those busy, sleep deprived years.

My children became more self-sufficient, and as I waived goodbye to my twenties, I also waved goodbye to all those jeans and tees.  I was finally able to upgrade to my beloved vintage dress + cardigan style and spend a little time learning to do my make-up and hair.  Yes, during the baby years, I never colored my hair, rarely styled it, and wore very minimal make-up, but I was young and I got by.  In my 30s, it was suddenly harder to coast with the beginnings of wrinkles and an ever-growing streak of gray hair.

 

Now that I've bid my 30s adieu as well I can feel the fashion shift beginning again.  With work demanding a large portion of my time and my home life demanding much less, I find myself reaching for trousers more and more often and dresses less and less.

I don't know why exactly, my work hasn't changed, but my style is, and while a few years ago I would have relished a big shopping spree to overhaul my wardrobe, it's not something I look forward to anymore.  At times like this, it's nice to have a few staples that will grow with my style as it changes

Nothing says timeless classic quite like a pair of black ballet flats.  These flats from Harriseve are flexible, breathable, and so easy to slip-on and go.  Plus, they go with everything, so no matter what I feel like wearing on any given day, these shoes will go with it.  Change is never easy, but having a few reliable things in life certainly makes it easier.

Shopping Info:  Top from Shein, Trousers from Collectif, Flats from Harriseve Now through August 27th get these flats for $18.49

Regency Gold

Regency styles seem to be here to stay.  While I've never been a fan of the empire waist dress, I do like trying new things and the print from this dress was calling my name, so I'm embracing my inner Jane Austen in today's post.

Interestingly enough, heels were originally designed for men's wear and slippers, also known as flats were the height of ladies' fashion in the regency era, so I thought it only appropriate to don some colorful flats for today's regency inspired pics.

Satin, leather, and plenty of ribbons and beading were popular materials for shoes in the 1700's, but I quite prefer these simple breathable woven fabric flats from Harriseve in this bright yellow that brings out the floral print of this dress.

If there is one character in fiction that I could relate to, it is probably Elizabeth Bennet.  I always loved how she was innocent but wise, witty but kind, and of course, willing to admit when prejudice had caused her to misjudge someone. 

Given how likely she was to traipse through the mud in search of her sister without regard for the opinions of others, I think Elizabeth Bennet would approve of something so sensible, comfortable and easy to clean as these Harriseve Flats. 

Shopping Info:  Dress-$20 from Yenkye, Harriseve Flats-$40 from Amazon  Now through August 27th get these flats for $18.49

A Mucha Dupe

Today I'll keep the text portions of my post short and sweet.  Due to my well established love of all things Mucha, I didn't feel I could properly explore this world of Puff Dress Dupes without trying a Mucha dupe.  I'm surprised that a print like this could be duped, but it was and here it is.

Ta-da!  I've said it before and I'll say it again, if dupers would use two layers of printed organza to the skirt instead of just one, the overall effect would be exponentially nicer. 

As it is, the dress is nice enough, big puffy sleeves and a print that while less crisp than the original is never the less, spot on in all other regards.

It's short and yes, that is the edge of my cotton bicycle shorts peeking out in the photo above.  I just can't walk around without shorts or bloomers under these dresses.  I'm tall and it's breezy year round here.

As far as fit goes, I'd say this dress runs true to size to slightly small.  Definitely check those measurements in the listing and compare them with your own.

Beyond the usual warnings and observations about dresses, I don't have anymore to say about this little $30 puff dress, so I'll leave it at that for today.

Shopping Info: Mucha dress-$23 from Yenkye