I’m an avid fan of wild and outrageous prints. I wear them all the time. When I came across this dress while thrifting I jumped up and down while screaming at the top of my lungs,
” Winning! WINNING! WINNNING!!!“
Ha ha!
Well inside my head anyhow.
The good people working at Salvation Army already have enough demanding and slightly psychotic customers to deal with.
I’m now a pro when it comes to concealing my secondhand scores while shopping. My heart rate rises, my face flushes and my blood pressure goes up but otherwise I’m as cool as a thrifted cucumber. Good thing I don’t play poker.
Isn’t this dress insane?
The mix of clashing patterns, frills and ruffles is overwhelming. The designer had a seizure and vomited up every idea they ever had onto one dress.
Let’s be clear… I freakin’ love this dress. I was a graphic designer for years working often on pattern creation and this delirious mix makes me salivate.
The Dress That Wore Me
So what’s the problem?
The issue I have is that the dress is a good two sizes too large and this is how I feel about that…
(I’m having a bad hair day above but on the other hand that Retinol A cream seems to be doing wonders.)
Size Matters
It is one thing to carry off this much crazy when it fits but when it hangs in strange ways
, especially through the shoulders and armpits I feel like the dress starts wearing me instead of the other way around.Tailoring & Thrifting
That is the thing about thrifting, sometimes you’ll fall in love with something you find that doesn’t fit. If I were a brilliant seamstress like my friend Sue I’d be able to fix these issues myself. Removing and repositioning sleeves, especially those with ruffles at the shoulders, is not easy, particularly if you sewing skills are as crappy limited as mine.
After seeing these photos again I may decide to take this to my local tailor and see how much it would be to size it down. I’m not willing to spend big bucks on tailoring if the item isn’t vintage and this is not vintage, it’s Gucci inspired but by H&M.
Here is the Gucci dress which I think was the inspiration for the dress…
I don’t often buy fast fashion when I thrift but this wild dress was too fun to ignore.
If you buy secondhand clothing do you often end up getting your pieces tailored?
Have you ever had a dress wear you? Did you get rid of it?
Linking up with Visible Monday, Turning Heads Tuesday, Fancy Friday, and Spy Girl
You manage to make it look good. The boots help.
The leopard ruffle down the front is what puts it over the top, no? It also would have helped to have the same print on the sleeves, rather than a blown-up version (I had to really study it to see that).
I like your dress better than the Gucci version, which is way too ruffled. Plus that black bow. Blech.
My daughter informed me that one of her friends gets her clothes adjusted by a tailor. A teenager. You can tell we’re in France.
I occasionally give things a nip or tuck, but my sewing skills are limited. And my patience non-existent.
That is a fun dress! I have (more than once) removed sleeves, taken a garment in, then reattached the sleeves. I’ve also added fabric to get a sleeve bigger around and remade a few things. You have to really like the item for it to be worth the time or money investment.
That is one intense pattern! I have often fallen in love with something and found that it wasn’t in the right size. Oversized clothes, I’ve found, just make me look skeletal/boyish, so I have learned not to try to make things work when they simply aren’t the right size. (Although the sewing machine can and does help out on occasion!)
When you’re in love you just have to find ways to make it happen!
Couldn’t it be a great Spring coat??
Melanie would have a suggestion. She wears oversized items stylishly quite often.
Have it tailored! You deserve it!
don´t hit me – but i think its the COLORS……
much to cool for you – the frosty lilac and bright black&white topped with icy greens.
if it was´t for the horrid tax we have to pay here for wares from overseas i would beg you to sell it to me – frosty is flattering on me and i have the sholders to fill it out ;-DDDD
that said – most vintage is to small for me – big problem with dresses, but most full skirts are easy to alter at the waist, coats were usually worn much wider then now so thats fine. little blouses are simple to sew from tiny pieces of vintage fabric.
xxxx
I do have some of my thrifted clothes made smaller by a tailor, however it is really cheap to do so here (in Bulgaria), so no problem. If you love it that much just do it 🙂 Lise
mwhaha, I totally understand why you fell in love with this dress, because it has an Amazing Print!!, sorry that it didn’t fit you!. I’m looking forward to see if a trusty seamstress can make it works, as it’s not an easy thing to sew sleeves in the right place!.
Sometimes I’ve decided to keep an ítem which is pretty oversized and wear it this way. I’ve also kept some (too tight) pieces which I can’t fasten and said to myself ‘I can wear it open’, but it’s usually because I’m in denial!
besos
Wow, what a dress! And yes, I’m sure H&M got its inspiration from Gucci! I think I have learned my lesson by now. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve fallen head over heels for a dress which is way to big on me but which I took home regardless, thinking I’d be able to fix it. With my sewing skills even more limited than yours, that never happened, obviously. I’ve only taken a garment to a professional seamstress a couple of times, paying way over the odds, and of those there’s only one dress I’m still happy with. I’ve been able to restrain myself lately. But never say never … xxx
Very exciting!!! That Gucci original tho… Whoa.
It’s a lovely dress, Suzanne, but I can see it’s too big for you. I have had thrifted items altered as I have a best friend who is an ace seamstress and who did an alteration for me once. She turned a dress into a skirt; this was in the early 1990s. I’m actually wearing a thrifted coat at the moment that is too big, but at least I can wear bulky cardigans and jackets underneath it!
I hope your quote for the alteration isn’t too eye watering…
Have a great weekend.
xxx
I think the dress is wonderful but I can see it’s too big for you, Suzanne. I have had a thrifted item altered by my best friend (who is an ace seamstress) back in the early 1990s. She turned a dress into a maxi skirt for me. I’m currently wearing a thrifted coat that is too big for me but it allows me to wear bulky cardigans or jackets underneath it; it’s also is very warm!
I hope your quote for altering the dress isn’t too eye watering!
Have a great weekend.
xxx
PS – I’ve been having problems commenting on your blog for a while now. Often the comment disappears or says it’s a duplicate comment. I don’t know if it’s just me or if others have had similar problems?
Yes, it’s INSANE! And I love it. You have such brio and great taste. Plus, with lines like this (“I’m as cool as a thrifted cucumber”), you make me laugh every time.
Oh this dress ! Yes, the very first thing that I thought of is how much it reminded me of a Gucci design.
I loved the way you described it the mix patterns, I also have the same fondness for such creative embellishment.
However we do have to think of how it fits. This can be a very frustrating issue when we dont know how to sew! . I don’t know why we are all aren’t taught to sew in school. But that is another topic. ..
Yes I am sure there was an occasional dress or two that wore me.
Such a fun and relevant post!
❤️❤️❤️
Elle
https://theellediaries.com/
It certainly doesn’t show that it’s too big in the photos, because it’s such a fabulous print. I’d love to hear how much it’s going to cost to alter it. I’ve done some altering, but it’s not always as easy as I think. Then I call for reinforcements (mom…help). Heck, I need to take advantage of her before she kicks the bucket (kidding)
I love how you found the inspiration dress for it too. I almost like the one you’re wearing better.
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
If you cannot get it tailored, why not email me…. I love that dress as well. Perhaps would only remove the ruffle at the shoulders. It reminds me of my red tiger suit. I am probably a size 12 in USA sizes. Just saying… (grin).
Greetje
Two words: mitten clips. On the back. Out of sight. Nobody will see them, which is the benefit of that wild print. At least the clips will tide you over if/until you decide to keep and tailor, or sell. This is an ultra-cool piece, worth a little effort. You definitely have the presence not to get lost in it. I see that you have dibsies on it already from Greetje. Hahaha!!