Melon Lace Dress: Smart Fashion Tricks for Modest Women on a Budget

Two Ways to Wear One Short Shift Dress, including Five Tips to Make Your Outfit Smarter

It's Spring and I currently spend much of my time getting grubby amongst plants, so it was nice to have an opportunity recently to dress up a bit.

My parents came to visit on the day the latest lockdown lifted, for which exciting event I planned a special outfit. I woke up to see the sun shining on it...

This thriftshop dress is cotton lace with gold plastic buttons. It came with a matching nylon chemise which the factory had sewn in back-to-front - probably why the previous owner gave up wearing it. It was a simple task to detach it from its moorings with an unpicking tool.

CASUAL DRESSY

The forecast temperature was a bit chilly, so I chose to wear a long-sleeved tee shirt underneath, a white chemise over top of it, and white spandex trousers, keeping all the under layers unobtrusive.

The jacket is a cheap and baggy fleece I've had in my closet for a while and not liked very much other than the colour. To improve the fit and add some class, I pinched a pleat at each side of the back of the jacket, and sewed a pretty button on top. I think I shall like it a lot more now.

My mother liked my outfit so much that she wanted to take photos of me. I'm happy that my clothing choices brought her pleasure. Other people have to look at me far more than I look at myself. I like to know that what they see is a well-groomed and attractive picture, a good representation of a King's daughter.

MAKING IT SMARTER

Here are five fashion secrets that can upgrade the classiness of nearly any dress.

UNDERLAYERS
If underlayers can't be hidden, but without them you feel exposed, you need a change of plan. Here I've ditched the tee shirt, and switched to the matching melon chemise which blends seamlessly with the dress and hides the waistline of the trousers.

OVERLAYERS
Instead of underlayers for warmth, a tailored hip-length jacket or longline coat will maintain warmth as well as style.

TREWS
Choosing a pair of tailored trousers adds a more formal touch to the outfit. The stiff, wide drape of these trews works well with the slimline pencil dress, and the textured stripe is a stylish contrast to the soft lace fabric.

SHOES
Granted, any shoes will look dressier than socks, although dare I say bright pink socks are rather snazzy. Choosing a chic pair of sandals or heels will immediately elevate the smartness of your outfit.

PURSE
Carry a pretty purse and viola! your outfit upgrade is in the bag. It was a simple task to transform this plain gold gift bag by gluing on a strip of craft card, adding an interesting swing tag, and attaching a fabric flower. The flower has a crocodile clip on the back, which slides onto a tab which I glued on the front of the bag.

I hope you've found something beautiful and inspiring here today. Now you know some simple fashion tricks for creating different outfits using the same dress.

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

Fiat lux!
Narelle

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

Spring Bridal Fling and a Leather Jacket

Here in New Zealand we're enjoying a patch of bursting springtime warmth, and this morning I went on an errand to town, feeling nifty in a monochromatic outfit topped with my thrifty faux-leather jacket. I was shopping for a bridal-looking gift bag.

I didn't find quite what I was looking for, but necessity does spark inspiration, and I came home eager to dig out the ribbons, paper, and glue gun for a shot at a pretty alternative to a bridal bouquet.

Why all this bridal talk? I'm involved in the local Girls' Brigade annual fundraiser for Operation Christmas Child, and IT'S A BRIDAL PARADE! I don't know how long it is since I first heard of such events and longed to attend...and then began to dream of participating. What's happening two days from now is that dream coming true.

I've spent the past four weeks in a whirl of organizing dresses, shoes, hair styles, music, and promotions. I stopped by here to say it's happening, and I hope you'll join in the fun via the photo album I've made public here.

At the parade rehearsal I wore "Bluebelle", a self-striped polyknit made for me last month by a friend. (Yes! Drapey knits can be modest!) I will be wearing an amazing (and modest) bridal gown on the night.

I found that the faux-leather jacket switched sweetly from daywear to evening wear. I'm happy to say I even have low-cost shoes to match (thanks to a friend going shopping for her wedding and sharing with me what she found).

CLOSET TIP
Its ironic that when pondering my closet recently to judge whether its contents were earning their keep, I considered giving the jacket evacuation notice because I've only been able to wear it a couple of times since I bought it four years ago.

Then this week I wore it three days in a row, and I realized that all it needed was the right climate and the right dress to wear it with. Too warm for summer, not warm enough for winter, its an overlayer just right for sunny Spring days that are kept fresh by cool winds off the snow-combed ranges.

And do I love those handy jacket pockets...especially when wearing a dress that doesn't support convenient cavities.

Bridal hairstyle?...well, I'm still fiddling with that.

If you're in the Tararua this Wednesday evening, we hope you'll join us, 6:30pm at Knox Church, Dannevirke, for "Brides Through the Ages".

Dress Express: 3 steps to getting that "new dress" feeling

"YIPPEE!"

How do you feel when you get a new dress? Maybe like me, a little floaty and a lot smiley punctuated by extra twirls and peeks in the mirror?

When I got home from a church meeting, before I took off my outdoor layers, put on my apron, and put my hair up for the tasks of the day, I stopped to take some photos for you.

This dress is the result of me coming to an executive decision at the end of June, when I'd been back home after the fire for a few weeks.

 1. ADMIT YOUR NEED

I came to recognize three things.

1) I did not yet have the tools, space, and strength to sew for myself.
2) I was tired of making do with what I had.
3) I live frugally so I can pay for others to do what I can't, i.e. solve my problems. Result: I set out to find a local solution.*

*You may recall that two years ago I imported my Suzannah Solution from Australia to sew as many winter garments for me as she could manage in 18 days. I was desperate, she was available, God met my need.

 2. EXPRESS YOUR NEED TO SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP

Providentially, here in my own town I connected with an 80-something-year-old "Dorcas" who trained in tailoring and pattern drafting 60 years ago and has been sewing for community and missions ever since. Despite having a challenging remedial wedding dress situation on the go, she was willing to help me immediately.

I sketched what I wanted and discussed with her how we could make it work, and she did nearly everything following, including contributing some lining pieces from her own fabric stash. My replacement sewing machine arrived Thursday, August 21st , and I went to collect the dress the day after that. During the next week I acquainted myself with the new machine and put the finishing touches to the dress.

Bluebelle Bliss: the joy of a modest dress

Yes, a drapey knit fabric can look modest -- if it's gathered in the right places and appropriately lined!

Narelle is wearing:

• "Bluebelle" Dress by Carol, self-striped polyester knit, lined with cotton knit(skirt) and miscellaneous polyester pieces (bodice)
• Cotton Drill (Denim) Jacket from Ezibuy on clearance.
• Suede Lace-Up Shoes, lined with lambs wool, handmade by Dannevirke's Cobbler Strong in the 1990s
• Flip-brim "Charmagne" Cap by Narelle
• Wool-blend Gloves from Victoria Hill
• "Ivory Tower" Reversible Shoulder Bag by Narelle

 3. ADORN YOURSELF WITH HER WISDOM

Yes, I'm thankful to be prettily and elegantly clad, but just as much am I grateful for the opportunity to be invited into the home, life, and retrospectives of someone with such skill and experience.

She allowed me to explore and ask about her dedicated sewing space, a large closet in a spare bedroom, equipped with gown-length closet hanger poles at each end, fluorescent lighting above, vintage tailoring tools I've never heard of before (brilliant and desirable), a sturdy Husqvarna machine (only the second she has owned), and the sewing table her father commissioned a local carpenter to make for her over 60 years ago.

My Dress Express experience sparkled with her kindness and generosity.

I'm passionate about encouraging older women to share their knowledge and skills with those younger than they. It's foundational to why I run this blog. One of the things that drives me is my own need to know and learn. Another is that I recognize there are women and girls like me who want to know and learn, but who struggle to connect with or ask the women who can help.

I want to encourage you: if you have knowledge or a skill, find someone to share it with. Somewhere, there's a lady or a lassie longing to experience what you have to offer.

If you long to know or learn something in particular, I pray that you'll be led to connect with someone who can give you the answers. May you have the courage and tenacity to ask the questions that'll get her started in the sharing. God help you express your need so that you soon get to that "new dress" feeling--a little floaty and a lot smiley.

Here's to you and I learning to "dress express", and may we enjoy a lifetime of "new dress" adornment of lightness and joy.

Fiat lux!
Narelle

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+.