Vintage Winter White

I'm not sure why, but when I start thinking about winter and the holiday season I get all nostalgic.  I love looking at pictures of the holidays during the 50's.  Everything seemed to be so much simpler then.  (Although, I wouldn't really know since I wasn't born yet!)  So it was natural for me to be drawn to a vintage vibe when it came to the winter white challenge.

I gathered all the white and cream things I had in my stash and gave some thought as to what I could do.  I decided on a stretch lace formal gown, a sheer curtain panel, a drapery panel, a piece of ultra suede, and a bag of pearls.  Later I added a linen blouse with crocheted lace.

Bewitched!

This week's challenge for Refashion Runway was Halloween.  I love costumes, so this was a fun one for me.  In fact, if you'd like to see some of my previous costumes (or some by my family members) over the years, you can click on the costume category in the side bar.  Make sure when you get to the bottom of the page that you click on "older posts" to see more of them.  Anyway, onto the challenge...

I began with six thrifted items that I had in my stash—a blouse, skirt, dress, jumper, brocade dress, and sweater.

I'll try to break down the process the best I can.  

The Leather Challenge

This week on Refashion Runway, the challenge was leather.  As has been throughout this whole competition, I have only used things that are in my refashion stash.  I had a couple of leather items to choose from.  A black coat and a grey suede shirt.  I preferred the grey over the black, so that's what I started with.  Also in my stash was a sweater that my son was getting rid of, and some wool fabric I had picked up long ago at a thrift store for $1.50.  Considering that the sweater was free, and the shirt was $2.00, this outfit cost me $3.50.  And, I have lots of grey suede left over for future creations!

Since this refashion consists of four parts, I'll show you how each was accomplished.

The Peplum Challenge

Week three of Refashion Runway challenged us to make something with a peplum.  I have to admit that I haven't been all that enthusiastic about peplums, but a challenge is a challenge!  As I was looking through the possibilities that I had in my stash, I figured this would be the perfect time to use some of the vintage lace I salvaged from a petticoat.  And, lucky me, I had a denim shirt in my stash that already fit pretty good.  So, if you're interested in the details, there are lots of pictures to follow!

  

This is what I started with—a pile of lace, a men's shirt, and a women's blouse.

And here's how it was done....