Today’s Secondhand Saturday post is a two-parter – I have both an outfit and an alteration project so share! I have been wanting a black and white leopard pencil skirt for a long time. The infamous Kendi included a similar skirt in one of her past 30 for 30 remixes, which I swooned over every time it graced her blog. On a thrifting trip last week, I came across this leopard skirt for $1.99. The pattern and length were perfect for what I wanted, but it was clearly many sizes too large. I knew it would be something I could easily alter, so into my shopping basket it went. Last weekend I transformed the skirt from a size 12 mini skirt to a size 2 pencil skirt!
Similarly to how I altered my vintage mustard pencil skirt, I took cues from this tutorial from Cotton & Curls. I turned my thrifted skirt inside out, and laid one of my well fitting pencil skirts on top as a template. I traced the contours of the pencil skirt onto the lining of the leopard skirt, pinned the two layers of the leopard skirt together so nothing would slide, and sewed down the line I’d traced on each side. Since the skirt’s fabric is slightly stretchy, it is forgiving with any alteration imperfections, and fits like a dream. Here is the result!
I am so excited about this transformation. There is nothing I love more than a high-waisted pencil skirt. The leopard print and $1.99 price tag are added bonuses! This project is a reminder as to why I should not dismiss too-large skirts due to their size while thrifting. Always look for the potential an article of clothing can have – a little alteration can make a huge difference!
Here’s how I styled my “new” skirt the first time – black and white with bold pops of mustard yellow. This skirt has a lot of remixing potential, and I am sure it will get a lot of wear!
Dress (worn as shirt) – thrifted (Wet Seal)
Skirt – thrifted, altered by me
Shoes – secondhand via eBay (Bandolino)
Earrings – thrifted
Flower Pin – self-made
Tights – H&M
Bag – thrifted
What a great skirt you now have, love your yellow accessories too
Thank you – I’m really happy with the result!
That is PERFECT! Man, if only I had a sewing machine!
Thanks Kelley! Learning to sew has vastly expanded my thrifting options – if I think I can alter it, into my cart it goes! ;)