#Conversion hits Psychologies magazine!
Yes ‘conversion’ is officially a thing!
I’m in Psychologies magazine carrying out a conversion every month as part of their Real Eco series.
My first candidate was Chloe, a teacher from London, who’s mother had given her a dress Chloe had always coveted. Whilst Chloe adored it, she couldn’t wear it; not only could she not get the zip done up, it exposed her arms and she was very conscience of what she called her ‘bulgy over-bra bits!’
As she tried it on we chatted about the difficult relationship she has with her clothes, her body and her inner confidence. I knew this conversion was going to be important – it had nothing to do with the dress and everything to do with Chloe’s own self-esteem.
She did a double-take when she saw herself in the mirror in her converted dress – her posture changed, her face lit up, she may even have swished! I knew she’d suddenly had a glimpse of how the rest of the world sees her – as a beautiful, capable, strong woman.
Converting our clothes is a powerful way to create a new relationship with ourselves and ignite our innate creativity – what could be more fun?! Convert your way to the most satisfying fashion fix you’ll ever have.
Click for close-ups of the ‘Before and Afters’
Here’s how we made the dress bigger:
- As the skirt was so full there was enough fabric to remove a panel without impacting the look of the dress. We unpicked the skirt, removed a section, re-gathered it and attached it back to the bodice.
- We unpicked the side seams of the bodice and inserted some of the excess fabric from the skirt to add several inches on each side. This meant that Chloe could now do up the zip.
- With the rest of the fabric, we created a shoulder structure with floaty sleeves to cover Chloe’s upper arms to make her feel more comfortable.
- The remnants were used to create the little detachable corsage on the grosgrain ribbon belt we made.
More tips on making a dress bigger:
- Look for excess fabric in the seams, in a matching fabric belt, the skirt or even sleeves to create panels
- Change the zip and keep it exposed to add more space down the back or side
- Replace a fixed waistband with an elasticated one to allow more give
Never think that just because you can’t fit into a dress any more that it’s unwearable – ANYTHING is possible with conversion. And if you need a few ideas for your own conversions, feel free to drop me an email with photos and I’ll give you a few pointers.
Look out for next month’s conversion in the print edition of Psychologies magazine…
