Say hello (once again!) to Dafna, our customer profile of the week. Some of you probably recognize her from I Found That Vintage (formerly housed in the backroom at GRD), or Blue’s Hard Goods, or just from being a fashion inspiration around town :). Dafna is constantly scouring different thrift stores, estate sales, and vintage shops all over the country, and occasionally comes across a diamond in the rough. Case in point; this homemade, cowboy bandana, square dancing skirt. It’s so…so…SOMETHING, but it was not working as a skirt. Luckily, she held onto it, and brought it to us, with dreams of a breezy summer dress.

First thing I did, during the fitting even, was remove the elastic. That way I could see how much fabric we had to work with, and – BONUS! – have this great photo op. A project like this required a couple of fittings, but Dafna was totally on-board, and gradually we cut the dress down to a much more manageable size.

Here’s a shot mid fitting…

 By adding front darts, bust arcs, shoulder straps (sewn from additional matching cowboy handkerchiefs she found online!), and removing over a foot of fabric from center back, a dress slowly emerged. The last steps were adding some elastic across the back, and sewing a matching belt, the look was complete! She even wore cowboy boots to the final fitting, so she could wear the dress out of the shop!

Check out that fabric!!

Learn a lesson from Dafna- amazing, one-of-a-kind creations can be hiding in the craziest, nuttiest, costume at Value Village. You just need to look beyond what’s right in front of you!

Have a vision for a wacky find? Give us a call at 202-567-7668 or email us at info@gingerrootdesign.com to schedule an appointment.

*Tailoring by appointment only; closed Wednesdays and Sundays.