It’s no secret that we love fashion! Thrifted fashion in particular offers so many benefits. It’s sustainable for the planet and it gives folks from all walks of life the opportunity to build their personal style affordably. Searching through the brightly colored aisles of clothing is an adventure and there is so much to discover! Everything from a vintage pair of culottes shorts, to designer brands, and even bridal and evening gowns. It’s a great place for style inspiration too. You can even find something and alter it to make a completely different look so there is truly no limit to what can be created from a simple find.
We’re back this June with Cassidy Burel for Stitched Up: Goodwill Alterations. Cassidy is a fabulously talented Fashion Designer, and Owner of CassB By Design. She is our inspiration and our guide to exploring what can be done with some selective alterations of thrifted finds! She starts with a concept, shops our stores, and creates beautifully crafted fashion masterpieces. This month she has brought us a gorgeous, vintage inspired look just in time for Summer!
Can you describe your process for selecting Goodwill items for this piece?
This meant that the article of clothing I started from had to be a dress or an XL of something flowy. After deciding on the type of item I was looking for, I looked for fabric type. I had made the design decision to scour for a structured fabric instead of a knit. This thought process shrunk down the options as well. Finally, after walking all around the store, I arrived upon a pink checkered spaghetti strap dress that I knew would be perfect for the overall aesthetic.
What was your process for altering this piece?
The first part of altering this item was snipping off the straps; carefully doing so to preserve them in the event they could be used again. After that, I seam ripped the liner from the dress and removed the zipper from the back seam. Once again, I was careful to snip and trim everything in carefully selected places so that it could all be used again. Patience is key when upcycling clothing in such a way.
If you are frantically cutting everywhere then you dramatically decrease the possibility of being able to cut new pattern shapes from the leftovers. After removing these sections from one another, I seam ripped the bodice from the skirt which made it a dress instead of a two piece. Once all of the pieces were separated, I went to work draping it onto a dress form I knew was my size, and pinned and clipped until the new shapes resembled the design we had planned for. After the pieces were all shaped to my liking, I placed the outer fabric on top of the liner and cut the same shapes as well so it was all cleanly finished on the inside.
Finally, once it had all been sewn together, I gave it a nice press and looked for remaining scraps to finish off the look. This resulted in using the, once straps, as a belt and the excess material leftover for the scarf around the neck. I know for a fact that I threw away less than four square inches of fabric to make this second look possible.
What was your inspiration for the finished piece?
My wonderful stylist Eutasha has the best ideas and she is crucial in the ideation of new looks. Together we were inspired by vintage 50’s clothing and the different materials that were used. We both loved the look of “a day at the beach” where the women wore bathing suits that were still made out of cotton and materials common clothing would be made out of. This led us to our new design as seen in the sketch. We blended the bathing suit look with a dress made out of cotton and turned it into our aspired vintage swimsuit look.
“A classic never goes out of style” – Essie
So there you have it! Cassidy has taken a simple Triad Goodwill thrift store find and created something absolutely iconic. We are so honored that we have the chance to work with her and her amazingly creative, talented team! Stay tuned each month for Stitched Up: Goodwill Alterations, to see what beautiful creations they come up with next.
Be sure to follow us on Facebook & Instagram for the latest on Stitched Up and everything else we do! And remember 85 cents of every dollar you spend at Triad Goodwill goes towards our mission of improving lives and enriching communities through the power of work! Want to upcycle some looks of your own? visit one of our stores and see what you can create!
Credits:
Photographer: Jewan Taylor (@truvisionmedia)
Creative director/stylist: Eutasha Harewood (@eutashastylesharewood)
Designer: Cassidy Burel (@cassb_by_design)
Model: Cassidy Burel (@cassidy.burel)