Sunday Best #6: Thrifted Vintage to Modern Teen Dress

Day 286:  When my girls have to get dressed up they have never been ones to want to just go out and get a dress off the rack.  They usually come to me with a few drawings or colors and ideas and we see what we can put together.  While I don't mind making them an outfit from scratch I prefer to upcycle vintage clothing, plus its more of a challenge for my skills.  So off we went to the thrift store and this was the first dress my teen found in the color she wanted~plus bonus is she can use it as one of her cosplay costumes.

Here is the front of the finished version of this mini dress, paired with the thrifted tall boots.

 I am thinking this dress is from the 60s or 70s and it was homemade.  Most likely a ball or bridesmade or prom dress as it was very long and flowing.  The best part of this was the trim and the sparkle in the red fabric.

She wanted it short so we trimmed it to mid-thigh.  I hand sewed the hem and cut the lining to just above the hem so it would swing loose underneath.

The back finished version of the dress. Here you can see where the ribbons on the bow hang down. Each part of the back detail were sewn on separately and really stood up to a night of dancing and sitting.

Close-up of the trim that is at the waist and neckline.

One detail my daughter wanted was a big bow on the back.  She also loves steampunk and bustle details on historical dresses.  We drew up a simple design and using all the portion we cut off the dress were able to come up with a bow that has the top corners handstitched to the dress and a simple draped bustle that is sewn in loops and gathers all meeting at the center point under the bow.

Another shot of the vintage trim that runs along the neckline, bust and waist.

This dress will be worn many times and was a huge hit for being so unique.  It was an extremely simple upcycle for the end result.  

What will you create today?