Saturday, August 7, 2010

The Grand Opening

The creative reuse shop is open and so far, wildly successful.

Here are my purchases last evening.  I measured the blue fabric (it has a shirting pattern, but it's heavier, more like a twill) and it's four and a half yards.  I see a dress in my future! 


There were lots more stores open, too, and I came away with the two brooches as well.  Tempting as it was to put the red-brown one on my dress, I resisted.


When I was helping to sort fabric for the shop a few weeks back, I came across this shift dress from what, the 1970s? and since finished clothes are not part of the shop, A shrugged and told me to take it.

It could fit almost any size between 6 and 16 because it's sleeveless and almost straight down from the shoulders.  It had a botched hem: from the look of it, the seamstress could not figure out her new invisible hem foot.  After tediously picking out the hem, I washed and ironed it and put in a new hem.  In current fashion, I belted it. 

At my request, my husband took pictures late last night when all the fun had died down, so the lighting is terrible, but the occasion is duly marked.  The dress fabric is the loveliest soft cotton, but with the beige background and the cut of the dress, it's not the most flattering thing I've worn.  Nevertheless, it was wonderfully fulfilling to wear a dress from the birth of the creative reuse shop to the grand opening of the shop.

And I am already planning to wear the dress this fall with my orange leather coat and brown boots.  Summer's charm is beginning to wane and I'm dreaming of sweaters and pumpkin and crispy leaves. . .

9 comments:

LiEr said...

Margo! Very pretty dress, AND flattering on you. AND a nice length - I read somewhere eons ago that one should always have the hem at the narrowest part of one's leg, which for me is the back of my knee. I'd always had my hems way too high, it seems. Well goodbye teenage styles, I guess!

kim said...

Love the fabric in the '70's dress....by the way what is a reuse shop.....I'm assuming it's the same as a charity shop here in the UK.
florrie x

Laura said...

I like it! And I think it looks very nice on you!

Christian - Modobject@Home said...

Love the dress, especially belted! And, you have a beautiful profile. I would love to visit the reuse shop...

Unknown said...

Such pretty fabric - looking forward to seeing the dress : ) And a ready made one to boot! Hope the shop does well too : )

A said...

Margo--Not flattering?! You looked like a movie star! The belt was the perfect touch.

Florrie--there are tons of Creative Reuse Centers in the UK--here's a link that has some of them: http://www.allthingseco.co.uk/directory/Scrapstores

Christian, there may be one near you. There's about 60 scattered around the US. Google "Creative reuse" and your state.

Beth said...

Great idea to belt the dress. You're so resourceful!

Margo said...

Beth, it's because I lurk around on the Sartorialist :) http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

You all are so sweet to disagree with me about the dress on me. I'm still not sure if it's a keeper, but thank you all the same.

Jacinta said...

I can totally see that dress with boots! Vintage is great as it means no one else is likely to have it! Hope you'll get some cooler weather soon so that we can see you wearing the dress again. :)

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