Sometimes, a little effort can go a long way.
One more quick read of a case can reveal that one angle you missed before.
The same is true for an out fit that just isn’t quite right.
It’s not easy to find a matching dress and blazer. So I was excited when I recently found one in a creamy off-white, perfect for an upcoming summer trial. However, when it arrived, I found three issues.
First, the neckline on the sheath dress was far too high. It’s not bad when worn alone, but with a blazer, it loses its shape.
Second, the off-white is nice, but it’s very plain. I’m looking for simple, not mundane.
Third, the jacket is not particularly fitted. It’s a bit big in the waist, and while I could ultimately have it tailored, I needed a quicker fix.
I could return the suit, but since these are so hard to find, I decided to see if a few tricks would solve the problems.
Starting with the neckline, I decided to employ my limited sewing skills to convert the boatneck into a V-neck. I ended up hand-sewing the neckline, and while I’m sure a tailor would have done a better job, the resulting shape is a much better fit for the blazer.
The second two issues were far more easily solved. I simply added a belt at the waist. I chose a medium brown, rather than a lighter color, to break up the cream color. I also chose a relatively wide belt to accentuate the color. The belt also cinched the waist perfectly, providing balance in both color and in shape.
With a few little fixes, I went from feeling somewhat drab in this off-white combo to feeling powerful.