Lace: A Re-construction To MY Style

Tuesday

A week or so ago before the hustle and bustle of a lengthy work week I decided to kick boredom in the bum one day and dye some lace. If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, then you've seen the lovely result, but I've also been preoccupied with finishing holiday shopping and just getting around to wearing and sharing.

In all honesty I was not in love with this dress initially, because I wasn't extremely keen on the collar design on me. However, it was quite easy to slash, dye, and sew my thoughts deep into the seams.
The vision was simple: creating an ombre aesthetic, yet making the dress look slightly vintage. No sketch was required, rather the passion for a successful outcome, and merely being in good health afterward was going to be the ultimate reward; this would be a high-fumed project.
On the Agenda:
I flattened the collar, cut the length significantly, and altered the sleeves making it 3/4 length ... it was starting to look better to me. Then, I slashed the ruffles from the collar and re-sewed them in a more pleasing way, at least to my eyes. Lastly, I altered the fit of the dress and hemmed the rest of the dress, adding gathers at the waist.

I imagine this dress, (once all black with grey stitching) had an overdose of frill appeal intentionally, because that must have been the trend at that time, but I potentially saw something else in this silhouette.

My dear friend gifted me this dress a long time ago, knowing that I'd hear the little designing voice inside of me wanting to shake things up a bit, only to aid in the betterment of the dress of course! Yes, there were times when I wore the dress as it was intended, however through the years I've felt that it's my duty to do whatever is needed to make me LOVE this dress!
This little art project had me reminiscent of my design school days, having more time on my hands to dive into more crafty/art experimentation.

Next, I analysed the fabric and began to bleach the collar and sleeves, then I hung them to air dry, and to see if I achieved the result that I wanted. Lastly, I used a spray bottle mixed with tan dye, and another bottle mixed with a small amount of bleach, both with adding water and began to sporadically saturate the lace, some areas with more coverage than others. After a couple of hours I washed the dress twice, and hung it out to dry. Here's the result.



*Note: Always know your fabrics: Testing first is good beforehand, if you are uncertain about the fibres. All materials dye differently, so proper research is necessary unless you enjoy unwanted surprises!

The goods: Lace dress-DIY and altered-gifted, Knit pants-Topshop, Socks-Falke, Shoes-seen here, Necklace-here, Fan-Chinatown/SF

55 comments

  1. Oh wow, I really love what you've done to the dress and how you've made it 'you'. I love the new sleeve length!

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  2. SACRAMENTO Amate22 November

    Fantastic results. I adore the dress. Those frills are gorgeous.
    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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  3. grace - stripes & sequins22 November

    Nice job!!  Love it.

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  4. Looks VERY vintage. I like it. 

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  5. Wow that is an amazing job i love the colour x

    http://fashionandfrank.blogspot.com/

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  6. Notafashionblogger22 November

    wow you did an amazing job!!! I love it!

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  7. Hotsy Malone22 November

    That turned out gorgeous!  Good job.

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  8. Thank you dear. I was happy for the result.xxoo

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  9. Hi Winnie! Yes, I couldn't help putting my mark on this dress. Thanks for the lovely comment. 

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  10. Thanks so much doll! xo

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  11. I can't believe this DIY! Amazing work, girl. I'm jealous of your skills.

    www.chillairandperfume.blogspot.com

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  12. This came out really nice. I'm a huge fan of lace, and this dress is quite lovely.

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  13. GlamKitten8823 November

    The collar is so pretty!  I love the way that you did this.  The whole outfit looks great.

    http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/Twitter: @GlamKitten88 

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  14. You are a genius at this. Have you sent this in to I spy DIY? You should.

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  15. awesome job! you look so stunning.

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  16. I really, really love how this turned out!   It feels both retro and completely updated!!!! Nice work Madison!  (oh, and if you get sick of it, please send it my way!)

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  17. Pretty!  I wish your photos were bigger so I could see a bit better though.  I'm sure there are details I'm missing.

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  18. Thanks so much Kavery that's super sweet compliment. I loved how this came out. xo

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  19. Yes, to lace loving ladies! thank you Kirstin. 

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  20. Oh hey there hun, thanks so much for the comment, and taking the time to view my DIY. 
    ~xxoo

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  21. I've always loved lace!

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  22. The Dainty Doll's House23 November

    You look stunning, I love lace!! x

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  23. nice dress dear!









    Check out my new outfit post!
    MY BLOG: Dress up for armageddon

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  24. Aww, thank you so much dear. Lace has such a romantic look.

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  25. haha! Yes, unfortunately the next size up for my images would fill the page cutting off some of the shot, perhaps if you click the image, depending on the browser I'm told you can see it larger.  Thanks!

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  26. Thank you so much Zarna! xo  ;)
    Have a great holiday.

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  27. So glad that you liked it too! xx

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  28. :-) Thanks! Really appreciate it!

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  29. Oh to Be a Muse23 November

    you always find a way to recreate a look and make it great.

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  30. I LOVE it. great job!

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  31. Wow awesome bit of DIY, I'd love to be able to do stuff like this... but for me...

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  32. Lady, you always look so beautiful! I love how you've reinvented this lace dress. It turned out perfectly! Ah, to be so talented! :)

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  33. another amazing combination, i love the combination of the sheer and the black! it emphasizes the color of the sheer, fabulous effect 

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  34. I like the outcome! Well done Madison!

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  35. Loving the result & it looks amazing on you!

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  36. Absolutely loving that dress. The print on it is great.

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  37. Thanks! you can totally do this... for you of course! lol
    I used to make and dye silk ties, my favourite! hhmm, maybe I will do one of those in the future again. 

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  38. Thank you Bella, you're so sweet. 
    I'm pretty much in love with this lace! I want to do something else.
    Hope that you had a good holiday weekend.

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  39. Thanks so much Anna! xxoo

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  40. Hi Sherin,
    Thanks for commenting. I enjoyed dyeing this fabric, so happy that it turned out the way I wanted it too! :)

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  41. WOW.. your dress is fabulous..
    lovely
    lee 
    http://leeoliveira.com

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  42. I love this! So cute! Love what you did with it

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  43. Thanks Mandi! Hope you had a great thanksgiving holiday.  xx

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  44. oranges_and_apples02 December

    oh wow, such a good job! it looks great!

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  45. Thanks so much! Have a lovely weekend. 

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  46. Brilliant idea! It looks great!
    www.styleisalwaysfashionable.blogspot.com

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  47. christi johnson05 December

    This turned out really great! I would never think to bleack out lace because its usually a synthetic, but vintage lace usually has some natural fibers in it that bleach out beautifully apparently!!

    http://sleepydarlings.blogspot.com

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