so, i'm getting ready to make a big, cross-country move from new york city to san francisco in one-point-five weeks. eep! so soon!! but before i leave, i decided that i would force myself to go through my closet and get rid of anything i don't wear/doesn't fit and fix what needs TLC/could use some restyling. i have a laundry basket full of clothes in need of small and big fixes, which i am diligently working my way through this week, in and among moving errands and the requisite packing.
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earlier this summer, i bought this madras/tie-dye sundress from old navy, because i was intrigued by it's unusual, mish-mashed fabrication/fabric treatment. it was sort of long, so i hacked it off, making it short enough to reveal a good chunk of a vintage nordstroms circle skirt i found some time ago at buffalo exchange here in brooklyn (williamsburg, to be exact). it's paired with a vintage navy blue ribbed tee with crochet trim, and i thought the outfit would look mighty fine with either the green or the blue shoes! i really like the idea of layering skirts over skirts, or skirts under dresses, to shake things up from a styling point of view...
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i found these citizens of humanity cropped jeans at goodwill, on e. 23rd street at the beginning of the summer. they had big branded snaps on the waist and pockets, and one was missing. i covered the remaining snaps and snapless areas with monochomatic yo-yos. i also hacked them off and re-hemed them, turning to knee length shorts (because as i've said before, things that hit somewhere between my calves and ankles make me look truncated).
i rather like how this simple refashion worked out. :)
i'm imagining the jean shorts above with strappy heels or heeled sandals, or with knee high boots and thick, colorful tights (perhaps printed?) once the weather finally cools off.
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last week i took eight pairs of my beloved vintage and new shoes and boots to a manhattan cobbler whom i read about in lucky magazine (twice!) many moons ago, for some much needed TLC. soles were wearing down, fissures had formed across the top of some parched vintage boots, and scuffs marred the surfaces of many pairs of my precious footwear. arty of arty's shoe service on 8th between 22nd and 23rd fixed my shoes up and has given them new life!! arty is apparently the second in a line of cobblers, and runs the shop, greeting customers and is totally the epitome of new york-ishness. i recommend him wholeheartedly...not something i do lightly!
he replaced the soles on this particular pair, conditioned the leather, and replaced the dried up, scary insole. i haven't ever been able to wear these shoes, and now i can!
after bringing my cache of repaired shoes home yesterday, i was inspired to get out all my shoes (not a light task!), clean the insoles with soap and water (you wouldn't BELIEVE the dirt that inexplicably collects in one's shoes living in NYC, it's CRAZY! it never happened when i lived elsewhere), and conditioned and polished the leather on each pair. it looks like i have a closet full of new shoes. a little TLC for one's things goes a long way, and in the end it's cheaper than buying a bunch of new shoes (or clothes for that matter!)...
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i'm not officially participating, but there's a participatory blog entitled wardrobe refashion over at blogger, where members pledge for varying periods of time to refashion clothing they already own, rather than buy new, and they post the results for all to see. some of the results are quite successful!