That vintage velvet dress was one of the fab frocks left in the basement closet for me by my groovy landlady. The sleeves and golden embroidered shoulder details are fantastic however the fit and length are less than stellar so let’s jump right into my easy vintage velvet dress refashion and give it an awesome transformation!
When I flipped the dress inside out I not only discovered a pair of thick cotton shoulder pads but also a fantastic vintage label!
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Those puffy shoulder pads definitely had to go!
Thankfully the dress was all one piece and that interior waist elastic was simply stitched around the middle so could easily be removed with careful use of a seam ripper.
Removing that elastic waistband immediately improved the shape of the dress!
To achieve my ideal length I snagged a dress that already has it and placed on top of the velvet frock with the shoulder seams lined up.
Then marked a couple of centimeters below that perfect hem length (for seam allowance).
Chopped off the excess length and gave the bottom a quick clean hemline.
Removing those shoulder pads + that elastic waist and chopping the length easily transformed a dowdy dress into a fab frock!
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I would have kept it as is except for cutting it down the front, heming the sides, sewing some matching buttons on both sides of the new hems and called it a jacket. 🙂 I like the look of it.
Transforming it into a long coat did cross my mind but I’ve been coveting a little black velvet dress for ages! 😉