Modern Modest Elegance Goes in an Art Deco Parade

DECO DALLY: BLUE SERENADE

This weekend was the Napier Art Deco Winter Festival 2023, an event that people travel from overseas and around New Zealand to participate in.

A storm was forecast, but happily it cleared up in time to allow for the street parade in honour of first responders and everyone else who has chipped in to help in the recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle, which devastated the region and prevented the summer Art Deco Festival taking place this year.

Following the parade, folk wandered through the streets enjoying live music, dancing, games, vintage car rides, and a host of other events. Many were dressed in costumes of the Prohibition and Depression eras (1920s and 1930s). There was much to see, and it was lovely to meander slowly, stopping to chat with any friendly person I encountered, acquaintance or stranger, taking time to offer praise for costumes I particularly appreciated.

As I was leaving the Soundshell, the always dapper "Bertie", Art Deco ambassador for Napier, approached me with a light in his eye, saying, "You look wonderful, darling." (He addresses all women like this.) "Why did I not see you in my Fashion Flaunt?"

"I'm sorry, I arrived late and you were halfway through."

"I would have stopped the show for you," he said gallantly. "Where did you get your hat?"

"I made it."

"I like it very much."

I chuckled. "The first time I met you, about twenty years ago, you were hosting a beauty pageant at the Municipal Theatre. I was there as a journalist. We met on the steps and had a wee yak. I was wearing a hat and you liked that one too. You told me I should have been in the competition."

He laughed. "That was a strange show."

"Yes, it was. I was sitting centre front, fourth row back. I got sprayed by the flammable liquid from the fire eater on the stage." I didn't get to hear what aspects he thought were strange, because he had to rush off to compere another event.

Near the archway exit from the Soundshell, I met a picturesque Gary in vintage motorcycle garb, keeping an eye on his shiny red Indian motorcycle parked across the road, which was attracting a lot of attention. He crossed the road with me as we discussed motorcycle things, like how many cycles can you fit in a standard garage in comparison to the narrow-chasis Model T Ford like the one chugging past us giving rides. Gary owns twenty motorcycles.

A lady clad in pleated wool cullottes with a white fox around her neck asked to have a sit on the bike. Gary coached her in the best riding position, and invited her to try the horn. We bystanders chuckled and shook our heads at the rude sound. I said, "That would get annoying very quickly."

An eager Asian man stepped up to me. "Please may I have picture with you?"

"Sure," I said, wondering who was going to take the picture for him. He stepped in beside me, up in the air went his phone, and click!

"Thank you!" he said.

I smiled, blinking in astonishment. A tourist just took a selfie with me!

Next thing I knew, a tweedy-looking gentleman was saying, "Hullo!" like we'd met before. Which we had, but I didn't know he was an Art Deco tour guide. While we were discussing the interesting combination of four tweed patterns in his outfit, a man with a large modern camera hanging around his neck said, "Excuse me, may I film you?" We obliged, and adjusted our position so he got the best background to represent the Art Deco capital of the world.

"I love the colour you're wearing," he said to me as he filmed. "By the way, it might be on TV. Would you like me to take some photos of you with your phones?" We presented them, and he quickly took a series of pictures on both phones at once, looking like he'd done it many times before.

After that, a group of ladies gathered me into their company and took me for a leisurely browse at the Antiques Fair and then Decorum Vintage Store (Decorum of Art Deco Napier New Zealand) where we considered aspects of vintage feminine apparel and how to orchestrate them for modern comfort and delight.

When I do Art Deco outfit parades like this, I use regular items that are already in my closet. Modern clothing styles abound with vintage influences. It's not hard to dress with echoes of times gone by, but PLANNING IS KEY if you want to pull it off with pizzazz.

When putting together an outfit, especially when you want to look spiffy and leave a good impression, give yourself a trial run. Put on all the pieces you intend to wear and photograph yourself in them. Looking at the photos will help give you a "third eye" perspective which will make it easier to see if you've got the combination right. I photographed four versions of this outfit to find the right combination.

I hope you found some inspiration here today.

Until our next Deco Dally, wishing you a Happy Hattitude.

Narelle

#BoutiqueNarelle

#HappyHattitude

Modern Modest Elegance Goes to an Arabian Nights Party

DAFFODIL DREAM

This evening I had the privilege of attending a party in a stunningly beautiful setting. The birthday girl is a skilled decorator. Look what she created for her Arabian Nights theme. 🤩

I didn't have much time to come up with a costume for the occasion. I went with a refit of a #BoutiqueNarelle bridesmaid dress (what a good thing I put some flexi in those seams!), and the simple strategy of 👑Princess Up👑.

It's remarkable that the rose fascinator matches the dress so well, because I created it long before my sister's wedding was in sight. I was delighted to get a chance to wear "la belle fleur" tonight. It's one of my favourite fabric flowers, inspired by a rose in my grandmother's garden which I've never seen anywhere since. 

I was in my early teens when Grandma moved in next-door and planted dozens of rose bushes. As I was walking along her garden path one day, this enormous lemon bloom caught my awed attention, and I moved in for a sniff and a closer look. I've never forgotten it. Maybe one day I'll find out what its name was.

I hope you've found something beautiful and inspiring here today.

Fiat lux!

Narelle

#BoutiqueNarelle

#HappyHattitude 

#ByNarelle

Nifty Navy Chop: Smart Fashion Tricks for Modest Women on a Budget

Dress Upcycling Technique #5

This summer I've been reminded of a key to dressing well on a small budget:

As long as fabric endures in good health, it holds possibility as wearable and a potential money saver. 

If you're interested in limiting your waste footprint and reducing your financial expenditure, take a second look at the old clothing you've been thinking is past its usefulness. Your favourites may gift you another life of wear after all.

You may have seen how I achieved that with the yellow beach skirt. For my next project, I assessed a favourite polyester rayon shirtdress that I bought new for NZ$2, fourteen years ago at a Red Cross sale.

This dress introduced me to the delights of the classic shirtdress, a style that has been reinvented decade after decade for over a century because of its flexibility, comfort, and practicality. 

What I most love about this one is the back ties allowing easy fit, and the lightweight but opaque fabric allowing cool summer modesty.

When I bought the dress, I needed an ankle length hem. Adding a coordinating strip at the base achieved this. I also needed to trust that the narrow button placket wouldn't gape, so I handstitched closed the edge of the placket from hem to crotch, and added invisible domes (snap fasteners) between the buttons at the bust.

My current need is for knee-length dresses that I can wear with trousers underneath, so I decided  it was time for the chop. It was a quick job to shorten the dress. I took time to use the discarded length to create four patch pockets, the upper two for modesty, the lower two for practical use.

Extra Style Tip

The dress designer made pearly shell buttons a feature down the front of the dress. I didn't like the contrast of white buttons on dark navy, so I turned them all upside down. The sandy brown underside of the shell has an uneven texture I really like on this dress.

In these photos, I'm wearing the dress as a costume for the Napier Art Deco Festival, celebrating the Depression-era resilience and creativity of the survivors of the 1931 Napier earthquake, who rebuilt the city into the architectural splendour it is today.

Now you know a quick trick for upcycling an old dress into a new one for very little cost.

Look out for more Boutique Narelle posts detailing liberating modest fashion techniques.

Fiat lux!
Narelle

The Three Lives of the Yellow Beach Skirt: Smart Fashion Tricks for Modest Women on a Budget

Skirt Upcycling Technique #4

There is currently no fabric shop in my city, and I'm living on a very small income. This summer my need for a modest, pretty dress led me to take apart a favourite dress and remake it...for the third time.

This crinkle cotton skirt started life 11 years ago as a delicate, half-lined beach skirt with a fold-over knit waistband. When I bought it from Ezibuy for NZ$10, I separated the skirt from the band, added a full lining of gingham, then reattached the waistband.

Oh, how I loved that skirt. But soon the stretch band lost elasticity, and I lost weight, a combination prompting me to remake the skirt into a tank dress, meaning the garment would hang from my shoulders and it wouldn't matter what fluctuations were taking place at my waist. For this I used a JayJays knit camisole with a double layer at the bust and adjustable straps.

After a few seasons of happy wearing with a blouse or tee shirt over the top, the knit fabric of the camisole was beginning to disintegrate around the top edge. To extend its life, I stitched a supportive lining (visible in the above photo) along that edge using a strip of the camisole that had been cut off when attaching the camisole to the skirt.

This 2019-2020 season as we skipped Spring and jumped straight into Summer's intense heat, I realized two things. One, I wasn't wearing that dress because the worn knit camisole now felt a little icky. Two, the summer temperatures experienced here mean I need to avoid knit fabrics if I want to stay cool.

The woven fabrics of the skirt were still in excellent condition, so once again I unpicked the knit upper portions. This time I created a fitted, zipped bodice of woven fabrics (worn below with an overblouse of burnout cotton).

The yellow striped sleeveless bodice is a delicate polycotton I had in my fabric stash. I lined it with Egyptian cotton from a bed sheet given to me by a friend whose husband wears through his side of the bed linens with unfortunate rapidity. I'm sorry she has to buy new sheets so often, but I feel very blessed that I'm on the receiving end of this luxurious, quality cotton that feels silky soft and cool against the skin.

I've learned two things from the many lives of this outfit:

• Clothing made of quality, natural fibre woven fabrics is worth the effort to acquire because it lasts so well.
• As long as fabric endures in good health, it holds possibilitied as wearable and a potential money saver.

If you're interested in limiting your waste footprint and reducing your financial expenditure, take a second look at the old fabrics you've been thinking are past their usefulness. Your favourites may gift you another life of wear after all.

Napier Art Deco Festival 2020

Now you know a fabulous trick for upcycling a secondhand skirt into a new and gorgeous dress for very little cost.

Look out for more Boutique Narelle posts detailing liberating modest fashion techniques.

Fiat lux!
Narelle

Aqua Splash: Smart Fashion Tricks for Modest Women on a Budget

Skirt Upcycling Technique #5

How not to wave goodbye to a favourite skirt that no longer fits

So you've put on weight and your favourite ankle-length skirt no longer fits? You feel like you should give it away, but you love it soooo much. I know how you feel.

Assuming that the fabric is still in reasonable condition, this post details a way to alter it so you can continue wearing your favourite skirt.

My skirt was already lined, in a soft dobby cotton that is part of what makes it so blissful to wear. If your skirt is not lined, you can create a lining in the same shape as your skirt, which will make it super quick to create neckline and armholes. Alternatively, you can hem them or use bias binding.

Prepare

Unpick any elastic or band at the skirt waist, preserving as much fabric length as you can. Press the waist seam open.

Fit Test

Check that the skirt is roomy enough for the skirt waist to fit over your shoulders. The easiest way to do this is to lay the skirt over top of a sleeveless dress or tank top that already fits you. If you want to utilize the full length of the skirt, the skirt waist seam will become your shoulder seams.

If the skirt is not wide enough, but it does fit under your arms, use the Skirt Upcycling Techniques (detailed in Boutique Narelle posts listed under the Frugalista Dressmaking tag) that turn a skirt into a yoked dress.

If it is too wide for your shoulders, you'll need to cut it to fit your shoulders and realign the side seams to fit under your arms.

Design

Before you cut, decide if the neck opening is going to be big enough to pull over your head. If you want a closer fitting neckline, you'll need to insert a zipper at the back or front. If the skirt already has a zipper, you may need to lower it to match where your new neckline will sit. I had plenty of width so I removed the zipper entirely and stitched up the seam.

Mark

Using pins to replicate the fit of your sample dress or tank top, mark on the skirt where you want the neckline and the armholes, making sure there is sufficient seam allowance.

Cut and Sew

Cut out the shape of the neckline and armholes, extract the lining, and sew the shoulder seams on the dress and lining separately.

If you don't have a lining, bind or hem the neck and armholes, press, and you're done.

If you do have a lining, reinsert the lining (ensure right sides together) and sew around the neckline and armholes. Clip the curves and trim the seam allowance. Understitch the seams to help them sit flat. Turn the garment right side out. Finish off by pressing the seams.

Extra Fit Tip

My skirt had a lot of fullness which created a lot of bulk between the armholes at the back. I cinched this fullness by sewing D-ring loops with ribbons attached for a pretty and easy way to create shape at the waist.

Now you know a nifty trick for upcycling a secondhand skirt into a new and gorgeous dress for very little cost.

Look out for more Boutique Narelle posts detailing liberating modest fashion techniques.

Fiat lux!

Narelle

Yoked Tunic Dress in Denim: Smart Fashion Tricks for Modest Women on a Budget

Following on from my posts about the Speedy Tank Dress and the Green Yoked Tunic Dress

Have you ever been in that desperate state where you wail, "HELP! I need a new dress, it's got to be modest, and I only have a few dollars to spend on it!!!"

Clothing availability, coverage, and cost are factors that often bring a modest-hearted woman to feelings of desperation. I had an urgent need for a warm modest dress. Here's what got me out of that desperate place.

Skirt Upcycling Technique #3:

Yoked Tunic Dress Revisited in Denim

A few months prior, I had come up with a new technique, turning a skirt into a tunic dress by setting the skirt's waist under the armpits and sewing a bodice yoke to the skirt waist band. It worked the first time, so I decided to try it again.

This denim skirt is onto its second upcycle. The first round (pictured above), I removed the elastic waistband and sewed the skirt onto a knit tank top. For the second round, I unpicked the tank top from the skirt, and prepared a bodice yoke to fit to the skirt, turning it into a tunic dress.

Finding a fabric match for the denim was the first challenge. The only piece in my fabric stash that worked was a navy polycotton which would be great for the yoke lining.

I went hunting at nearby SaveMart recycled clothing store and compared a collection of wide scarves. I took a risk with a loosely woven viscose because the colours went so perfectly with the tones in the denim. At $10, it wasn't cheap, but having seen the denim and viscose together, it was 😍 and I really, really wanted to keep them together.

The loose weave and delicate nature of the viscose scarf (featuring the word PARIS and a picture of the Eiffel Tower) were in stark contrast to the sturdy and durable denim. I improved the viscose stoutness by adhering a thick iron-on interfacing to it and careful edge-stitching to hold the threads in place and reduce wear to the seam allowance while I worked. The yoke lining was given a lighter interfacing, and the two yoke layers were top-stitched to give added support to the still-mobile viscose threads.

The risk and effort have been worthwhile. Wearing this yoked tunic dress makes me feel warm, comfortable, feminine, modest, and classy. It has earned a number of approving comments, so I know that other people are enjoying it too.

  

Now you know a fabulous trick for upcycling a secondhand skirt into a new and gorgeous dress for very little cost.

Look out for more Boutique Narelle posts detailing liberating modest fashion techniques.

Fiat lux!
Narelle