"Petunia" Top

Another beloved piece from my vintage collection:

 This beautiful top has a delicate mix of pinks and purples and an asian-inspired flower print.

 I'm not usually a fan of collars, but the collar on this top lies pretty flat and is pretty understated, so I don't have a problem with it.

This top comes from a company called Pykettes. I've seen a lot of this brand in thrift stores around here, and I'm guessing it may be because Pykettes, which was made by Pyke Manufacturing Company, was based in my local area. A lot of their shirts scream "little old lady" to me, but some are just too pretty to pass up. They do have some lovely patterns!

Here's how I'd wear it:

Petunia by princesszandra featuring black pants

Blue or Purple?

I LOVE this dress. I got it at the thrift store for like $5. Just like this. There were no changes needed. OK, so maybe I took in the sides a tiny little bit, but I didn't even have to do it.

This dress is awesome, and someone just got rid of it, and then I got to buy it, and now I get to wear it, and I love it. So, yeah, that rocks.

This is why it's worth digging through the racks. 

Also, this color: is it blue or purple? I say purple, but it's kind of in that weird middle ground where some people say it's blue. 

Grandma Floral Alteration

This looks pretty much... exactly like something my grandma would have worn. At least the fabric does. I love this dress because the fabric also looks and feels like bed sheets. Nothing like feeling like you're wrapped up in sheets all day, right?

I altered this dress by shortening the sleeves. They were 3/4 length before, but I felt that it would be more versatile with shorter sleeves. 

A quick Google of the tag shows that dresses from this brand are going for anywhere from $15 (and probably lower) to like $50. Hm...should I not have hacked off those sleeves...? I got the dress for $6, I think. 

Closeup of the awesome bed sheet fabric.

Floral Blue Alteration

I picked this dress up at the thrift store a couple years ago, so I don't remember how much it was, but  it was probably about $5. It doesn't have a tag, so I wonder if someone made it at home. I wore it many times just as it was when I bought it. I loved it, but eventually I felt like it was just not actually that great. I don't know why or how, but one day I just didn't love it anymore. I put it in my closet for months, always meaning to wear it or alter it, but I never did until just a couple weeks ago.

Here's the only "before" picture I can find. It's literally the worst, so it might not be super helpful.

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I shortened the sleeves. They were 3/4 length before. And I shortened the skirt. It was mid-calf, and now it's just barely below the knee.  

This skirt may not look it, but it's HUGE. Hemming it took HOURS. There was just so much fabric to deal with. It was crazy.

Anyway, I feel like it's much more wearable now, and my love fore this dress has definitely returned!

Black Floral on Sheer Purple

I picked this dress up for a whopping $8 at the thrift store. It really is a ton of money for a thrift dress, but I bought it anyway. I loved the fabric, and I felt like I could make it more wearable. The brand is called New Raves, and it seems to be from the 80s.

I should have taken a before photo... oops. Anyway, step one was of course to remove the shoulder pads. They were huge.

The dress used to have a very huge top, and the skirt was fitted until it hit about mid-calf, where it flowed out.

I decided that step two should be to unpick the skirt from the top. I cut inches off of both so that the top is now a bit more fitted, and the skirt is a bit shorter and has more movement throughout.

For step three, I decided to turn the rather high round neck into a small v, and I added a tiny collar detail to it.

I've worn the dress with a full slip under it, but it would benefit from being lined. That will be step four. Maybe someday.