Last night I altered a dress. That is how on trend I am. I am channelling the whole Make Do & Mend vibe. I am Keeping Calm and Carrying On. And just to round off this charming retro picture, the dress I altered is the one I'm intending to wear to the Big Lunch in Lichfield to celebrate the Queen's diamond jubilee. Here it is:
A bit blurred I'm afraid, because I was obliged to take it through the home gym in order to get the whole dress in the shot. But you get the general idea. As you can perhaps see, it is a 50s style dress. My friend Pat the Midwife (can she make it? yes she can!) sewed it for me, using an authentic 50s pattern and fabric we bought for a pound a metre on the Birmingham Rag Market. The wonderful thing about having a garment made for you is that it actually fits. Being a bit of an hourglass gal, I can seldom get things that are snug on the waist if they also accommodate the busk (as the lady in the local woolshop always said when we were little). This has made me resolve--when my year of self-denial is over--to get more clothes tailored especially for me. Anyone know a friendly seamstress in Liverpool?
Please to notice the exquisite detail of the self fabric belt:
That Pat. Isn't she clever? All I have done by way of altering is to shorten it to knee length. It was originally mid-calf length, and we all know just how frumpy that feels even when it's in fashion. I will wear it with white shoes. This ought to demonstrate to the world that my legs are not actually white at all, they are merely deathly pale. And if I chicken out, I believe there are a couple of pairs of open-toe 'barely there' tights lurking somewhere in the hosiery drawer. I do commend open-toe tights, by the way, for those times when you're wearing open-toe sandals. Brilliant invention.
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