My gown......dress.......top!

by Wendy Joy

I once bought a beautiful black gown for a black tie affair.  It was made of a chiffon type material (I'm not good with those things so I'm not sure what to call it) and it had two thin straps on top on each side.  The bust part of the dress was really flattering and lifted me up in all the right places and was tight at exactly the right spot as well.  Then it flowed out beautifully and draped over my body in such a way that I always felt good when I wore it.  The problem is that I wore it and wore it and wore it.....it was enough!  If I wore it to anymore black tie affairs I would have been overlapping by more than 40 people!  I wore it to so many different affairs that I was now in dangerous territory.   It was time to say goodbye.  

 So I did what I always do and I went to my tailor.  He has cut off so many sleeves, high necklines and buttons of mine that he is always ready to recreate.  This time we made the gown into a cocktail dress and it was beautiful.  It took us about two times together to get it just right, but we did and I wore that cocktail dress for the next four years....until that too had to go.  It was time to say goodbye.  

 So I did what I always do and I went to my tailor and made it into a flowy shirt!  I made it just below my butt so it falls at the exact right spot.  I put it on with jeans or nice pants and I'm good to go in my silky top to any fun/casual type party!  I love this top and have been wearing it now for the last two years.  Whenever I look at it I laugh that it used to be a gown.  I am enjoying it so much and it is in no way time to say goodbye....but I will tell you this...when it is....maybe I can make it into a bathing suit top! 

 Go into your closet and cut off the sleeves of an old shirt and make it a great new tank top, take a long skirt and make it a mini, you can even change a neckline or make your wide leg jeans less wide!  You can change just about anything.   Just find a great tailor and  recreate what you already own! 

My gown/dress/top looks navy in this pic, but it is black.