Thrifty skirt makeover--super simple!

Have you ever purchased something just because it was on sale or clearance, and later wondered what the heck you were thinking?

I do that pretty frequently.

A fine example is this Wal-mart 3$ clearance skirt.  

It's made of fine-wale black corduroy, and has a side zip closure.  When I first got it, it featured a couple more ruffled tiers that made the finished length rather awkward in my opinion.  Oh, and the outer seam of each tier was embellished with some horrid, sequined trim.  Of course, I didn't think to take a picture of its original condition. :P

I'm pretty sure that when I bought the thing I had intentions of doing something with it...that's what I'm claiming, anyway. :D

In my defense, I never did wear it.  It just sat in my closet for a long time, until I moved it to my "to-d0" pile, where it sat for an even longer period of time.

Well, I finally got around to doing something with it, and here is the result:  

Please pardon my dirty mirror and the poor image quality...hopefully you can get the general idea despite my crappy pictures.

What I ended up doing was taking out a couple of the middle tiers and then re-gathering and reattaching the bottom one.  I also used some of my thrifted vintage lace trim to embellish the seams.  In all, there are three different types of lace on this skirt because I didn't have enough of any one kind to trim the whole thing...a minor drawback to using vintage supplies and notions.   When I was finished, I actually really liked the effect of the different laces and am glad that it worked out that way.  I still think the cut of the skirt is kind of goofy, especially around the hip area, but maybe it just seems goofy because I'm vertically challenged and extremely short-waisted.  Raising the hem made a big difference in how I feel about this skirt, though, and I will definitely wear it now.  

Here's a closer picture of the lace trims...and my knobby knees!

I was slightly worried that the overall effect with this skirt might be a little too "French maid", and perhaps it is.  Oh well...I like it anyway!  And at least I will finally get some wear out of one of those stupid impulse clearance purchases of mine. :)

Thrifters Anonymous.

Hi.

My name is Elisabeth, and I'm a thrift addict.

All the trouble began when I was just 13 years old.  After spending my elementary and middle school years at a Catholic institution that enforced a uniform dress code, I found myself about to enter public high school with a brand new dilemma:  What the hell am I going to wear?!

But no addiction begins that simply, of course, and mine has it roots firmly planted in my childhood...

When I was a little girl, I was very choosey about what to wear each day.  I often insisted on white tights, black mary jane shoes, and one of those foofy party dresses that are designed for very young girls.  My mother was indulgent, so there are many old photos of my tiny self posing, gleefully overdressed, in just such an ensemble.

My time at the Catholic school certainly left me somewhat fashion-deprived (not to mention virtually terrified by the prospect of colourful clothing to this very day!), but I was quickly returning to my childhood obsession with clothing, shoes, and accessories.  

However, I had more pressing issues than just being unused to choosing a different outfit for each day of the week.  For one thing, I wasn't exactly crazy about the clothing available at "regular" stores.  My grandma took me shopping for new school clothes right before I started 9th grade, but I just couldn't find anything that I liked.  I reluctantly settled on a few basic items, but of course that wasn't going to be enough for an entire year of school.  That's where my other problems came into play:  I didn't have very much money, and I lived in a small town with few options when it came to shopping for clothes.  What is a girl supposed to do?

I'm sure you can see right where this is heading, so I'll get to the point!  My memory is a little hazy on the specifics, but at some point around the beginning of my first year in high school, I discovered thrift stores.  My first thrifting love was, ironically, a Catholic charity thrift that was housed in the very musty basement of a very old former church building.  You could get a grocery bag full of as much clothing as you could pack into it for a mere 2$, and everything else was very reasonably priced (in the 10 cents-1.00$ range).  I thought I'd found paradise!  I spent many a day scouring through the racks, boxes, and piles of clothing and other items in that old basement, and before long I had a sizable wardrobe of unique and lovely vintage dresses, skirts, shoes, jewelry, hats, and more.  Since then, my addiction to thrift has expanded to include antique shops, rummage sales, and anywhere I can find things on the cheap--even clearance sales at regular stores.  I often go thrifting more than once a week, and I love visiting my regular haunts and searching for treasures that other people have cast off.  I do love shopping in general and I'm no stranger to regular stores or paying retail, but there's just something about thrifting that makes me so happy.  I adore things that have a history, and it's always so satisfying to know that I spent time searching for that special item.  

I decided to start this blog to share my lucky finds and thoughts about thrifting with others.  I hope to at least entertain you, but also illustrate that thrifting isn't just moldy old church basements and crocheted acrylic ponchos.  If you're patient enough to search through a lot of "absolutely nots" and imaginative enough to see the hidden potential in all the "maybes", you'll definitely wind up with plenty of "yeses". :)

Oh...are you wondering about that first thrift store I frequented, the one that started it all?  Over the years it has gone through some price hikes and a few different locations, but it's still open and I still visit it regularly. :)