Clever Re-use of Formals and Prom Dresses

Seeing beautiful, barely worn or worn one time formals and prom dresses, I am taken back to a time when I was younger and thinner and could wear these dresses without thinking twice about the small size.  Guess it’s my own nostalgia at work.  Given that styles change so rapidly, the gowns of yesteryear may or may not work for young women of today.  So what to do with all that beautiful fabric?
     (Note; will soon be adding some of the formals to the Look Again! store.)

Remake into formal holiday skirts for young girls.  Tutorial for how to is here at Squiggly Twigs design blog. 
Her entire blog is nothing but beauty and more beauty.  She has patterns for how to make these beautiful creations available for sale on her blog.  It's worth the visit.

Use your scarf on the beach, lake, bay or pool

Using your scarf as a sarong on the beach, here are a couple of ideas as shared on Just Jamie blog.  I like the idea of using scarf as a cover all with the tie at the bustline.    I'd love to hear how you use your scarves, post a comment.   Take a look at the scarves offered at Look Again! store. 

   

Dressy, Colorful, Designer and Vintage Scarves

 

Added some beautiful scarves to the store.  You’ll want to take a look!  (little play on words there, since name of the store is Look Again! )

Uses for designer and vintage scarves besides the usual fashion accessory; curtain valance, frame them, use as dresser scarves, use to make pillow slipcover, use in upcycle crafting/sewing, sew a few together to make table runner, make a tablescape by draping scarf from vintage purse with pair of glasses and place a thin column lamp placed in purse, What uses can you think of for scarves, vintage or otherwise?

Echo Black on White Striped Scarf

Offering this Echo designer scarf in a bold black and white stripe pattern, edged with an orange stripe finished with a larger red stripe. 100 % silk.

No tears or holes. There is a tiny run across part of the width in one place, but it is not obvious. I almost missed it in my examination of the scarf. Appears to be new or if used, has been very little use.

The Echo name in designer scarves has been around since 1923. In fact Echo claims that it was the first brand name ever printed on a scarf.

 

Charter Club Silk Tropical Floral Scarf

Offering a Charter Club designer scarf in vibrant colors in a tropical floral pattern edged in blue/green. The Charter Club logo is visible on the corner of the scarf. The tag indicates Charter Club, 100 % silk, made in Japan, with copyright icon - Macy's. Instructions indicate dry clean only.

The scarf appears to be new or if used, lightly used. There are no tears, holes or runs, the edges are rolled hem and beautifully stitched.
Scarf is rectangle measuring 35" by 18".

 

 

Vera Green Scarf

 

Vintage Vera! Offering this Vera scarf, likely from the 1970s based on large signature and no ladybug icon. All Vera designs are copyrighted. color green

Scarf is large square in size measuring 22 1/2" by 22 1/2 ". Green with green mountain pattern. The fabric feels like a chiffon, or sheer type fabric. There are no tears, holes or pulls. The rolled edges are in very good condition.

If you don't know the Vera name of designer scarves, a brief history. Vera Neumann, artist turned textile designer's scarves are known for their graphic, bold patterns (flowers, dots and geometrics) and Vera's signature in the corner. One way to tell the age of the scarf is by the size of the Vera signature - the smaller the signature, the older the scarf.  Also through the 1960s until the late 1960s, the ladybug icon shows up alongside the Vera signature.

The Vera signature gets larger; the ladybug icon makes a comeback in approximately 1973 with the larger Vera signature. Disappears again through the 1980s, and makes a comeback in present day scarves.

First item offered in the store

Lovely rectangle scarf, floral patten showing pink flowers with white and lavender centers on a pink background. Gently used, in good condition, no tears, pulls or holes, appears to be a bit of fading from washing, muting the colors or the colors were muted to begin with, can't tell for sure. 

Uses for vintage scarves besides the fashion accessory; curtain valance, frame them, use as dresser scarves, use to make pillow slipcover, use in upcycle crafting/sewing, sew a few together to make table runner, make a tablescape by draping scarf from vintage purse with pair of glasses and place a thin column lamp placed in purse, What uses can you think of for scarves, vintage or otherwise?  


Visit Look Again!  store  here  

Opening the online store

It's a popular thing to do these days - have an online e-Store to sell items that you might once have sold at the Big Auction place (you know the one!).   I recall when the bay was first getting it's start as a novel idea for using the web to bring sellers and buyers together across the continents.  I even knew some people who made a feasible if not good living income from doing exactly what they were doing in offering products for auction at the big bay.    Time moved on and power sellers with stores showed up at the bay and the unique novelty began to wear thin, although most people know almost instantly about the bay when it is mentioned, ie, the image on a cheese sandwich.

While I did purchase some items in the early days of the bay,  and thought how fun it would be to sell items, the idea never really sprouted wings for me as it did for so many others.   Now that we are moving into those later years at the end of life time careers, there is time to contemplate, time to reflect, and time to generate some fun new activities that formerly yielded to the busy-ness of career, family and home.   I ventured into a familiar venue as an independent representative of a well known company shifting gears to move into the 21st century.  Now I want to see what I can do with one of my all time favorite hobbies - finding those treasures that hold no logic except, well, just because - sentimental - nostalgic - memories - it meant something to someone - the craftsmanship - the artistry - you don't find them like that anymore - do you remember - I had one of these once when I was a child - my mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, cousin had one of these - and all the other special expressions you find yourself saying or hearing others say when you encounter that unique treasure find!

Enjoy my finds, and tell me about yours.  Treasure hunters, treasure finders are a kindred spirit, not limited to age or generation, just the joy of the find.  No matter your age, there is a past, a present, and a future for you that will become someone else's past -- it is the circle of life!   My years as young woman, wife, mother and career person took place in the 1970's.   I thought I was so happy to see that era pass and would never have to look back at the styles, decor, colors, themes, motifs again.  Now I see younger people all around me looking at that era as 'the past', 'retro', 'vintage', indie-cool and I am revisiting a time I thought was put to rest with renewed interest.  Those owls, the macrame, the long dresses, the browns, oranges, greens....



While I am thrilled to find treasures dating considerably earlier than the 1970's, because it is representative of my 'past', it is intriguing to find a younger set seeing my time/generation as their 'past'.  I love it, don't you?