Hummingbird Blue: Assembling an Elegant Outfit from Awkward Pieces

 

Tragically, my city no longer has a fabric store. Here's how I get over that hurdle when I need coordinating material to make an outfit. Instead of buying new fabric yardage, when I shop for an outfit at a secondhand store, I source fabric from other garments on the rack.

I look for one main piece in a fabric or colour I like. Any adult size will do, usually the larger the better. Next I look for other garments in fabric that will coordinate with my first piece. I then rearrange the fabric from these garments to create one outfit or dress.

Hummingbird Blue

When I spotted this hummingbird fabric, I immediately loved it and longed to wear it. Given that it was assembled as a spliced and skimpy jumpsuit, it would take some creativity to make it modest and wearable. But I was willing to try, because I loved the fabric so much.

Now I knew I was looking for blue. I hunted around the racks and to my delight found a floor-length taffeta skirt in a shade that matched the hummingbird beautifully. The skirt was far to big for me, but this made me even happier - I had more fabric to work with.

Then I found a chiffon tunic with a knit camisole attached to it. The tunic was too big and too revealing to wear as it was, but I really liked the drape of it and it was in a shade that toned with the other items.

Concerned about cool evenings in a sleeveless dress, I was happy to find an elegant cardigan, although this too had a fit issue.

Now I had my ensemble, but they needed assembling!

Deconstruct the Skirt

Step 1. Unpick the skirt waistband and zipper. Sew up the seam where the zipper was.

Reconstruct the Skirt

Step 2. Detach the camisole from the tunic. Sew the skirt waist to the camisole, creating a tank dress. (Before stitching them together, I added a short skirt lining using a remnant from my stash - lined skirts feel so comfortable to wear!)

Reconstruct the Jumpsuit

Step 3. Unpick the leg/crotch seam of the hummingbird jumper suit and cut away the scoop of the crotch extension, leaving a straight edge down the back and front. Unpick the hem a little on each side of the raw edges to give you room to work. Sew the fronts together and the backs together, then rehem the bottom edge. Now the jumpsuit is a tunic.

Fix Fit Issues

Step 4. The hummingbird tunic still had some gaping areas with keyholes front and back, and low armholes. These were easily fixed with some pinch and stitch action.

Step 5. The fitted chiffon tunic sat too low on my bosom, making puckers in odd places and allowing for more movement than felt safe for my modesty. The armholes were also too large. Because the fabric was so light, I was able to pinch the shoulder seam up without creating too much bulk. This improved the fit at the bust and front neckline, and reduced the armholes. I arranged the sleeve gathers to please me, then handstitched them in place at the shoulder.

Step 6. The knit viscose cardigan was designed for a lady with longer arm scye and more bosom than I have (this is also why the chiffon tunic didn't fit me). I gathered the extra fabric into a series of pleats and stitched them by hand, turning them into a style feature that encourages me to wear my hair up so they can be seen.

Styling Choices

An alternative might have been to make a long dress by sewing the hummingbird tunic to the taffeta skirt, but this way the soft drape of the delicate tunic is retained, and the outfit is more flexible. I can change the look by changing the style of tunic. I can also wear a tunic over a different dress or with wide-leg trousers.

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

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

Fiat lux!

Narelle

Style Transformation: how to simplify your life using the ten-item wardrobe

One of the very strange side effects of having too many clothes is that we still have nothing to wear!

We are operating under the misconception that the more clothes you have the easier it is to get ready in the morning, when actually the opposite is true. The less clothes you have, the less choice you have, the more thought and organization you put behind your wardrobe, the easier it is to get ready in the morning.

So how simple can you get?

Jennifer discovered the ten-item wardrobe concept while living in Paris with Madame Chic and her family. In this 13-minute TED talk she shares her endearing story, tips on how you can make a ten-item wardrobe work for you, and why living with fewer clothes can not only improve your style, but change your life.



Jennifer L. Scott is the internationally bestselling author of Lessons from Madame Chic and At Home with Madame Chic (Simon & Schuster) and creator of the blog The Daily Connoisseur. She is a contributing writer for Huffington Post Style and has been featured on CNN, BBC, and CBS News, and in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, USA Today, Newsweek, and The Daily Mail. She lives with her family in Santa Monica, California. To learn more, visit www.jenniferlscott.com

Awesome Updates (of the modest kind) on Boutique Narelle

MODESTY MALL UPDATES
In December I spent eight hours adding stores and features to the Modesty Mall, and I've just done a tweak for January. I'm thrilled that new stores offering modest clothing are opening all the time. If you know of one not on the list, please let us know! Boutique Narelle's Modesty Mall is the most comprehensive regionally categorized list of modest stores in the world, making shopping for modest clothes easier for ladies like you.

Great Shopping DownUnder for Modest Women

GREAT SHOPPING DOWNUNDER FOR MODEST WOMEN

Damart and Victoria Hill catalogues are among my favourite clothing resources because of their consistent provision of wide variety of attractive, modest, feminine garments in a moderate price range. You can guarantee there will be modest tops and long skirts in any season. Worthy of note is that through the 2013 southern autumn and winter seasons they were the ONLY store downunder that provided modest long skirts.

Unless you have easy access to a well-stocked secondhand shop or are comfortable sewing what you need, Damart/Victoria Hill is as good as it gets in New Zealand and Australia. (If you have knowledge to the contrary, I'd love to hear from you!)

MAKE FASHION CHOICES THAT ARE RIGHT FOR _YOU_

I'm sharing in this post a selection of the delights available from the current catalogue. Remember, the age and shape of the model and the styling choices of the catalogue stylist should not dictate whether a garment will work for you or how you should wear it. You have the power to choose, to combine, to wear what is right for YOU.

If these garments don't meet your needs and bring the real you alive, check out the other recommended stores in the Modesty Mall until you find items that will reflect who you are and what you believe.

4 KEYS TO GREAT CLOTHING CHOICES

Key to choosing clothes and accessories that make you look good and feel great is to ask yourself these four questions when shopping:

1. Does it enhance my God-given colouring?
2. Does it match my lifestyle and beliefs?
3. Does it align with my character and  personality?
4. Does it compliment my natural body type?

Best wishes,
Narelle

Note: We are very sorry about the missing images in this post. They were tragically and irreversibly gobbled by Google+.

Conquering the Modesty Monsters

As a fashion entrepreneur and journalist of four years, I have observed that the greatest challenges to dressing modestly are:

WHERE TO BUY...?

• swimwear that looks like clothing
• formal/bridal wear providing beauty without enticement
• cleavage-covering, non-transparent, non-clingy tops
• ankle-length skirts
• drapey maternity options in colours other than black

WHERE TO FIND...?

• other girls and women who have the courage to model modesty as a lifestyle and will support me as I seek to do likewise

The purpose of Boutique Narelle is to help you resolve these challenges. There are hundreds of articles and videos on this website. We have worked hard to find solutions for your needs.

Let us know if you can't find the answers you need, but please do look first. It may be that the post you need is logged some way back in Boutique Narelle's history. Use the topical Labels on the sidebar to help you.

Our quick-stop best shop list of Recommended Stores is in the upper navigation bar.

If you need super-cheap, do-it-yourself solutions, check out the side-bar labels Sewing Tips and Shopping Tips.

If you have or know of solutions to any of the above-listed challenges, please post a comment below, especially if you or they are in Australasia!

Shopper's Guide: Why Shop Recycled [Thrift]?

 Recycled clothing. Is this a phrase that turns you off or fills you with joy?

I grew up in a home that often didn't know where the next meal was coming from, but we did not shop at secondhand clothing stores. We were dressed from gift bundles or my mother sewed what we needed.

There were two secondhand clothing shops in my small town, and in my teenage opinion, only desperate people shopped there. The selection was small and the quality was poor. Just how desperate people could be was demonstrated to me by a friend who excitedly modelled her 'bargains' for me. She had found two tee shirts for 50 cents each. They were so thin that she had to wear both of them at once. To my mind, they were still too thin.

I was therefore of the opinion that ladies couldn't shop at secondhand clothing stores. However, I began to doubt this theory on my 21st birthday when my aunt came up from the capital with a navy blue wool suit for me. It was beautiful, expensive-looking, tailored, modest, in fact everything that a lady would delight to wear. My aunt had been given first pick of a new shipment at a secondhand store, and this is what she found. It cost about NZ$10.

About 3 years later, I took a trip to Mount Maunganui with a friend to meet up with my sister for a long weekend. We explored this fairly exclusive beach destination, and my friend pointed out a chain store I didn't know about: SaveMart Recycled Clothing. I was dubious about wasting time in such a barn, but her enthusiasm convinced me to give it a chance.

An hour later, I was converted. I came out with several dresses which became closet staples. One in particular has been a consistent, adaptable favourite, my Red Roses Dress (worn below at an English Country Dance) which has drawn many admiring comments and has continued to adapt to my shape without complaint. Carrying the label American Weekender, it cost me just NZ$8.99, even though prices on the Mount were higher than at any other SaveMart I visited in the couple of years following.

Following our Mt. Maunganui adventure, I explored SaveMarts in Wanganui (huge and excellent), Nelson (wasn't impressed with the selection available that day), and Palmerston North (closest to where I live). I hadn't been for several years, so recently took my camera along to see what I could see.

The Plastic Bag Says It All...except for the website: www.savemart.co.nz

Although I always keep an eye out for modest tops and skirts, my specific wish list was short: warm corduroy or moleskin jeans (not tight between hip and knee).

Did you laugh? Yes, these are few and hard to come by. Once or twice a fortnight, trousers are required apparel, but I've lost weight in the past year and the trousers I've been wearing don't have belt loops. I've been using a pink plastic clothes peg to keep them up.

I figured I could improve on this solution, but the cost of new jeans from mail order companies like Victoria Hill (NZ$70) and Ezibuy (NZ$50) was more than I felt was justified. The local Postie store has corduroy jeans but they are low riders and have that peculiar bleached wash that draws attention to butt and thighs.

What's the difference between these 2 Ezibuy styles: Capture bootleg corduroy jeans (above) and Emerge bootleg corduroy jeans (below)?

Notice the leg width at the thigh and knee. If you need to wear trousers but are worried about modesty, choose a style that doesn't hug your upper legs. Try before you buy and CHECK YOUR REAR VIEW!


Ogden Nash wrote, and my dad frequently quotes this quatrain:

Sure, deck your limbs in pants.
Yours are the limbs, my sweeting.
You look divine as you advance.
Have you seen yourself retreating?

My haul from that trip was six garments. Lessons learned were twice that number. For Boutique Narelle's Top 12 Tips for Thrift Store Shopping, click here: http://www.boutiquenarelle.blogspot.co.nz/2012/01/shoppers-guide-to-recycled-clothing-top.html


Note: We are sorry about the missing images. They were tragically and irreversibly gobbled by Google+.

Shopper's Guide to Recycled Clothing: Top 12 Tips

At SaveMart New Zealand, over 3000 fresh items of recycled clothing come into each store every day. If stock hasn't sold in 4 weeks, it goes to charity in Papua New Guinea.

For you, that means there's always new stock generated from diverse sources. Provided you remember Boutique Narelle's shopping tips below, and barring sticky trolly wheels, raucous radio, cramped dressing rooms, and staff-only toilet facilities (not all stores are thus adorned but certainly Palmerston North's SaveMart), your shopping experience should be a happy one.

Top 12 Tips for Thrift Store Shopping

1. CARRY A LIST AND/OR A COLOUR SAMPLE of what you're looking for. Be wary of being sidetracked by an apparent bargain you don't actually need.
2. In good lighting, CHECK GARMENTS FOR FLAWS such as rips, stains, loose stitching, snagged fabric, missing buttons, and other problems. Be aware of tag positioning -- removal of the staples may leave holes. (These labels are best removed using a staple remover.)
3. TRY ON EVERY GARMENT AND UNDER THE CONDITIONS YOU EXPECT TO WEAR IT (i.e. over a camisole or t-shirt). Shrug, bend, wriggle, and crouch to check all aspects of fit.  When trying shoes, wear the denier of stockings or socks you would wear with them. Walk in them.
4. TEST ZIPPERS several times.
5. WEAR GARMENTS AND SHOES THAT ARE EASY TO REMOVE for try-ons, such as zipped sweaters, button-up shirts, and slip-on footwear (not lace-up boots!). Don't wear your best duds -- SaveMart is a dusty place.
6. BE AWARE THAT SAVEMART BUILDINGS ARE NOT HEATED OR AIR-CONDITIONED. Plan your trip accordingly.
7. READ GARMENT LABELS for laundering surprises and to check for extra buttons.
8. READ PRICE TAGS CAREFULLY. SaveMart tags are hand-written and not always neatly. Don't rely on colour codes.
9. DO NOT RUSH. Give yourself time to think. If you need the toilet, go, and return to your thinking unpressurized.
10. If the garment has flaws, consider what it will cost you in time and notions to fix it. IS IT WORTH IT?
11. If it isn't right and you can't easily fix it, LEAVE IT. And...
12. COME BACK SOON for another hunt.

Note: We are very sorry about the missing images. They were unexpectedly and irreversibly gobbled by Google+. 😱😭

Best Modest Bridal & Formal, Part 1: Shopping Tips for Formal Occasions

Pretty dresses make me smile. How about you?

Early in the Spring, I started work on updating Boutique Narelle's wedding/formal promotions. Blissfully have I wallowed in images of gorgeous fabrics and dainty trims.

Are you ready to wallow? Come with me to the amazing

Margene's Bridal, an American store with two outlets in the state of Idaho.

Not every bride has the luxury of 6-12 months to plan her wedding and shop for the perfect details (personally I'm in favour of short engagements), so do you know what colours and styles allow you to look your best? When the bridegroom comes, you want to be ready. Knowing where to get a modest wedding gown or how to make one will be significantly helpful!

I don't expect to be a bride any time soon, but I do know of other occasions when an elegant gown might be required. When I browse formal fashion websites, I love studying the styles and accent details of the prom gowns, and I tend to be distracted by vibrant colours, but I'm learning, from my prowls, to be more discerning in what will work for me. This will simplify future shopping/sewing experiences.

BN's Top Shopping Tips for Formal Occasions

1. Know what suits your figure and complexion.
2. Know what you want. Impulse buys are rarely successful.
3. Know what your modesty standard is and don't compromise.
4. Know your budget, but don't view this as limiting.

Allow yourself to be creative in finding ways to stick to your budget. 'Good old Kiwi ingenuity' is the think-outside-the-square factor in my heritage that has taught me to say, "Now how else could we achieve this?"

Next week we'll explore how else you might achieve your goal of a modest and gorgeous gown.

Yay! More wallowing!

Browse these gorgeous gowns at Margene's Bridal

Note: We are very sorry about the missing images. They were unexpectedly and irreversibly gobbled by Google+. 😱😭

2 Simple Steps to Find a Modest Fashion Bargain

Are you a modest lady with a tight grip on your purse looking for low cost but good quality clothing that actually covers you?

I know how that feels. For months I've been working hard to solve my own drastic wardrobe situation (I had just one winter-weight skirt!).

THE EASY WAY TO GREAT CLOTHING BARGAINS
Clothes wear out faster than most people can make them, so my best tip at this time is to get yourself on the e-mailing list of your favourite stores. They're doing their utmost to get people to buy, offering huge and frequent discounts to loyal customers.

How do you know which shops provide the kind of clothing you're looking for? Use our Modesty Mall to browse your region for online stores that stock modest garments.

Add your email address to their list via their website, and all you have to do is keep an eye on your Inbox (or mail box) for sales promotions. Reductions are frequently 50% or greater. Stores like Ezibuy offer weekly discount specials, and even high end fashion stores send out 'secret mailers' to preferred customers offering up to 70% discounts for 2-4 days prior to offering what's left to the general public.

THE TWO STEPS YOU CAN TAKE NOW to get your next bargains sooner than you may think:

1. Browse for modest fashion stores using BN's Modesty Mall.
2. Subscribe to the shop's email list or catalogue mailer list.

Every dollar counts when you're trying to save money!

See PLAN AHEAD.

Bargain Hunters Plan Ahead, updated

Bargain hunters plan ahead -- we get on the mailing list of stores that provide clothing we like! That way we get first dibs on sale and super-sale items.

Bargain Hunters and Plan Ahead were posted in 2009. The advice still stands, and to make it easier for you to benefit from that advice, I've created a Modesty Mall, Boutique Narelle's list of recommended online stores that have consistently provided MODEST clothing options for women.

Get on the mailing list of your favourite stores
so you know when the bargains are ripe for picking!

Disclaimer: Boutique Narelle personnel have not purchased garments from all stores in the list, so we can not vouch for quality or service, nor do we claim all stock in these stores to be of a modest nature.

Plan Ahead

Caught short of modest clothing?

The best way to avoid this is to plan ahead and be prepared. Buying on impulse or in a rush is rarely helpful in the long run.

1. Make a list. Figure out what clothing you're going to need in the coming seasons to fill the holes in your closet array, both the type of garment (shirt?) and the style of garment (dressy?).

2. Be informed. Set up a system to alert you when sales are on in stores that stock modest clothing (see "Bargain Hunters" post).

3. Browse. Search the options for what's on your list and select bargain pieces that will meet those needs in a versatile, practical way.