Blue Sequin Bombshell!!

Who loves 80's vintage? We do, we do!!

We found this peacock blue, sequin sheath at Out of the Closet for a dollar recently.

We loved the Indian beading and the bright palette, but the cut was a little "Golden Girls". (Think Bea Arthur in a tunic, Rue Mcclanahan in sequins). Plus, it was pretty darn big as well...

So we decided to give it a classic, SHS makeover!

For a dress like this, there are some challenges to doing a home repair. First, this piece has a TON of seed beads and paillettes. (Not machine friendly). So this meant that taking it in or up had to be minimal because sewing over beads is not the easiest task. To avoid having to undo tons of bead work, we did the following:

Step 1: Cut the hem, leaving hem "allowance for folding over. (We cut off nearly a foot).

Step 2: Try to remove as many beads from the hem as possible, to sew in the fold-over.

Step 3: Taking in the sides. This was done using a "tack" method.

The "tack" involves creating a pleat in the fabric to give a cinching effect. We folded a 2" pleat approximately 7" underneath the armholes and tacked it down with the sewing machine. This gave the dress a waistline curvature and a swoop in the hem.

And here's the result!! A gorgeous, retro, studio-54 dress that's ready for a night out on town!

 We added "T"'s signature, platform pumps (in brown to mix it up!) and a fabulous, double skinny belt.

 Pearl beaded hoops kept the jewelry minimal and allowed the dress to take center stage!

And there's that gorgeous, "fake bob" Tanya's famous for. (See a tutorial on how she does it here).

And there you have it! Another smashing, dollar purchase, success story! Now, who's up for cocktails?

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Dress: Vintage: Via thrift, $1.00
Heels: F21
Bangles: Swap
Belt: Swap
Earrings: F21