Category: Refashions restyled
Burberry Suit – Part 1
I’ve had this ice blue Burberry wool suit for ages. I pounced on it, magpie-like, in Streatham Oxfam and managed to get it for £17.99. I was so excited about this suit when I bought it that I didn’t really think too hard about what I was going to do with it, just that £17.99 seemed like a bargain, even though it didn’t fit AT ALL. The skirt’s too big. The jacket, well, the jacket is just wrong. Too big, huge shoulders, grubby hem, sleeves far too short. Those buttons though. The buttons are incredible – and there are three on each cuff!
Happily I have been able to give the skirt the attention it deserves, while the jacket is still waiting for some TLC. So that will have to come in Part 2 at a later date. The main reason for neglecting the jacket is that I didn’t notice (in the dimly-lit shop) that it has a rather large coffee (I assume) stain on the centre front. I have turned the contrast up on the photo below so you can see it – if you look really carefully at the photo above you can just about see it. So anyway, that’s on ice for a while while I decide what to do with it. Back to the skirt.
Outfit: Betty Draper does Kenya
One of my personal favourite projects from last year was this Betty Draper-inspired dress. You can read the original post here.
This was made from a sheet that I bought for £4.99 in Oxfam, and I’m really glad I bought it. I still have the pillowcases left to make something else for next summer!
The final dress was very like the Betty Draper original, except the skirt wasn’t as full, giving it more of a 60s vibe than 50s.
Outfit: Magnum PI in Kenya
Just a quick post today. This Hawaiian shirt remake formed part of my wardrobe for my trip to the British Virgin Islands a couple of years back, but I have worn it countless times since then. It originally came from the big Goodwill in San Francisco… I think it’s safe to say that this is one of the most travelled items in my wardrobe. Not bad for $10. You can read the original post here.
Outfit: African print
I’m sure you remember this dress in African style fabric that I bought from Thrift Town in San Francisco a couple of years ago. This project was top of the list when packing for my holiday as I really wanted the chance to wear this in Africa (Kenya to be precise). Sadly this little African inspired number didn’t make the cut.
I doubled my money with this by turning it into a skirt and top.
Outfit: Trench Coat
I am sure you remember this trench coat. This one was sent to me as a refashioning challenge by Portia – read the full post on her blog here, or I posted it here as well. I know she only paid £1 for this and I had great fun remaking it.
The final trench, based on a Burberry one Kate Middleton wears, had a large flounce around the hem. When I made this back in June, it was too hot to model it outside, so I’ve decided to try and do it justice with some more realistic pictures.
Outfit: Red lace in casual mode
Hello again Refashioners!
I am sure you remember this red skirt from a few weeks ago. This started out as a plain Country Casuals red straight skirt in 100% wool.
I took it in at the back and added lace trim in a similar colour to jazz it up a bit as part of the lace trend that’s everywhere this season.
I wanted to report back that I have been wearing this skirt a lot since it debuted here a few weeks back. Today I want to share a more casual look with you.
Outfit: Nautical Yellow
Today’s restyled refashion is the pale yellow men’s shirt I altered a while back. I took it in (a lot), cut off the sleeves, inserted bust darts and added patch pockets with pocket flaps.
Here’s a little refresher for you:
This has been such a useful piece in my wardrobe! Like the dip dye shirt, it’s great for layering. In fact, I’d say it’s better than the dip dye one because it can be dressed up or down. Today’s outfit pairs it with my new nautical themed top. It’s intended to be a dress I think, but I haven’t worn it that way yet.
Outfit: Dip Dye
One thing to remember about summer pieces is that they can be layered up in winter, adding to their versatility.
Remember this shirt? It’s from the not too distant past. I started with a white shirt and dip-dyed it in flamingo pink. Here’s a quick before and after to refresh your memory.
I thought it would be timely to feature this shirt again since Cloth magazine has a feature on an identical shirt in this month’s issue. I am not terribly keen on their styling, though.
Outfit: African Skirt
From time to time, I’d like to show you new outfits based on pieces I’ve refashioned. This particular piece is a personal favourite – I started with a dress and made a skirt and a top.
Here’s the original ‘before’ picture; you can read more about what I did with this dress here. I originally styled this as part of an all black outfit like so:
But here it is styled with an alternative neutral colour: Gold.
By popular request: White shirt redux
Hi everyone, since so many people requested that I wear last week’s white shirt with skinny jeans or leggings, I thought I’d try out a couple of outfits so you can see how it looks.
Here it is with sequinned leggings.
Charity Shop Chic 
