Here is another tardy post. Seeing so many pledges to stash-bust this year has prompted me to stop procrastinating, though being home sick with a cold hasn’t seemed to help my productivity this week. But today I’m feeling a little better, and I’m just restless enough to drag myself to my computer to share some finished projects that have been waiting in the posting queue.
Last time we spoke, Cordelia was modeling a lovely thrift-store find for us.
This is not something that I would ever wear. But I knew there must be a reason I was drawn to the dress when I first saw it hanging on the rack. If I could discover what it was, perhaps I would know how best to repurpose this piece. Was it the asymmetrical chiffon overskirt? Maybe. The black and white floral print? Nah. The neckline? Definitely not.
I explored the construction of the garment. Took a peek at the inside seams. Pretty normal. Held the fabric against my body and took a look at the silhouette in the mirror. Too big, too long, not really special. Ran my fingers through the layers of netting. Lots to work with, at least. Lifted the overskirt. And that is when I knew.
When I first saw Rear Window at the approximate age of 10, I fell in love with a lot of things. Mystery stories, Grace Kelly, and Jimmy Stewart were among them. And that dress was at the top of the list.
An Internet search yielded a wealth of images for consideration. The garment was as beautiful and elegant as I remembered.
My mission was to repurpose the dress as a vintage-inspired look. And now, with the proper inspiration (after some hours of drooling over gorgeous publicity stills and Edith Head sketches from the archive—for no one ever completes an Internet image search after finding only what they are looking for), I knew exactly what I wanted to create.
Next up, planning it all out.
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