The Budget Fashionista

I have a khaki shirt-dress from Cabela’s that I love. I bought it several years ago (7?).

I wore it last night with a red snakeskin belt and red leather open-toe sandals (with gold buckles on them and a chunky heel), and a gorgeous silk scarf I bought in Lyon this winter. It looked good but I felt like it’s really not “in-style”.

I’d like to get it updated at a tailor but I’m not sure what to do with it. Any suggestions on how to figure that out? I’m thinking of maybe getting the top of it fitted a bit more (right now, it’s kinda baggy on top), maybe re-do the collar a bit so it doesn’t cover quite so much (right now, it covers more than most coats!), and maybe cut down the fullness in the skirt (which is not a “full skirt” but more of an A-line) to more of a straight skirt.

Does that seem like it would update it well? I don’t have any fashion-savvy friends to ask for a good tailor, so I’m not sure who else to ask. I can use yelp to find a decent tailor, but I’d like to have *some* idea what to ask for when I go in. I want it to look *classic*, so I can continue to wear it, not just “today’s trend”.

The good news is that shirt dresses are definitely in—what I might do is peruse some websites with photos of shirt dresses being offered now to find a silouette you like—and take photos to a tailor to see what they can do to update your dress. I think an A-line skirt could definitely be current AND classic, so it might be a matter of concentrating on the top (and possibly adjusting a hemline, depending).

Websites to check out might be (and I’m not sure there are shirtdresses, but there’s a good chance): Ann Taylor LOFT, Macy’s, LaRedoute, Banana Republic, Gap . . .

Good luck!

Angela - 21 March 2008 04:55 PM

The good news is that shirt dresses are definitely in—what I might do is peruse some websites with photos of shirt dresses being offered now to find a silouette you like—and take photos to a tailor to see what they can do to update your dress. I think an A-line skirt could definitely be current AND classic, so it might be a matter of concentrating on the top (and possibly adjusting a hemline, depending).

Websites to check out might be (and I’m not sure there are shirtdresses, but there’s a good chance): Ann Taylor LOFT, Macy’s, LaRedoute, Banana Republic, Gap . . .

Good luck!

Oh - what a great suggestion.

Okay, so what do you think of something like this: http://www.anntaylorloft.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=11558&gclid=CIiu5Z35npICFRI0awodvgWq-Q&Ne=19&cm_mmc_o=7BBTkwj1BufCjC-55zywkjKywllwl+C+mfYkwCjCPyBzpCjCXwylwY+pywll|C|viiiiiiiiiiiiiiiSDDDx&pCategoryId=199&Ns=CATEGORY_SEQ_211&N=1200012+4294967098&Nty=1&categoryId=211&showAll=Y&defaultColorNameFromCategory=Classic Khaki&defaultSizeTypeFromCategory=Misses#ATLtop

Well, so I went in today to a local place that does alterations and has good reviews on Yelp (I *love* yelp!) and the woman and I decided to narrow and shorten the skirt and do a little work on the top so that it’s more flattering. It’ll run $55 and be ready in a week. The dress should be great for a long-term classic look now. Yay!