Thrift shops are chock full of fugly gear just waiting to be brought home and transformed into fabulous fashions! For this fugtastic Thrifty Thursday I thought I’d share a couple of the dowdy vintage dresses that have been languishing in my stash for far too long…
I inherited both of these 1970’s secretary dresses from Great Auntie Uschi and love the prints but the style & length have most definitely gotta go!
I have a few ideas of how to take these polyester beauties from frumpy to fantastic but I’d love to know what YOU would do! Let’s get some refashionista brainstorming going in the comments!
Vintage Dresses (inherited) €0 – Vintage Handbags (inherited & thrifted) €1 – Tights (1982) €3 – Vintage Pumps (thrifted) €6
Total cost for both outfits: €10
The purple one, why not a halter dress minus the belt? The pink/animal print looking one I’d separate into 2 pieces, mostly because I love the look of the skirt portion and it would be awesome to mix it up with some solids.
I have similar I cut at the shirt as I was going to refit the skirt less puffy but I’ll probably take the sleeves off to make a summer blouse.
OMG fugly alright! I would probably cut in to strips and make a funky weaved bathmat/rag rug. I am sure you will REfashion into something rad, but even the colours on you are not the most complimentary imo [brutal Aussie honesty, sorry if i offend] Maybe a deep purple dye bath and then a REfash and yes take off the sleeves and lower the neckline and shorten and……….back to my original suggestion lol.
Dyeing them may be a waist if you don’t have polyester dye you could chop both and them in to shirts and take the rest and make a layer skirt or patch work skirt where you cut them up in strips and then sew them back together.
I would make an above-knee skirt with an elastic waistband. I would make a sleeveless shirt using some of the blouse-part of the dress but also introducing a color from the dress into the blouse. I feel that dress print would be even prettier if there wasn’t quite so much of it.
And you must wear some lovely shorts with them to show off those turquoise tights (take me back in time so I can go find them and buy them please)!
I’m thinking belted tunic tops? Turn the scraps in to lovely pillowcases or use it to line a purse.
Well, since in the brainstorming you can bring out even the craziest ideas … the purple one for me it could turn into a pair of pants, such as harem pants, as long as there are no pleats … 🙂
oh sheri, these dresses are beautiful. I love the patterns <3 You could make a skirt out of one of it. or both can still be dresses, just with a shorter hem and half long oder short sleeves. And I woulg change the neck of the purple one. ….or you just give them all to me 😀 I am excited what you'll finally do!
Oh, I forgot … and sleeveless or cap sleeve
Boat neck with high low (hem) + a belt …
I LOVE the purple one…I’d make it sleeveless and take the hem up so it hits mid-knee.
aaaand once again we’re sharing the same brain…
I’m pretty obsessed with them as they are, but I am such a school marm! LOL Fab! You’ll be genius!