Stitched Up November: Goodwill Alterations with Cassidy Burel

cassidy burel leaning on red brick wall in black outfit drinking coffee

Local designer and style icon, Cassidy Burel is back and we couldn’t be happier!

Inspired by the current suiting trend, Cassidy Burel and her stylist, Eutasha Harewood created a sleek, chic, and modern look for autumn by repurposing, restyling, and rethinking some basic items found at their local Triad Goodwill!

For those of you new around here, Cassidy is an incredibly talented Fashion Designer and owner of CassB By Design. She is our local guide to exploring all the thrifted fashion possibilities within your local Triad Goodwill with just a few selective alterations!

Tell Us About Your Process for Creating This Look

We’ve noticed a spike trending with suiting apparel and decided to put a bit of a modern spin on it. When entering the store, I was looking specifically for something black, and oversized. I was drawn, of course, to the suiting section, where you can find anything ranging from matching sets, vintage tweed pieces, skirts, blazers, and more.

A matching black and white pin striped suit set caught my eye in particular. After making sure the fit and material was within the criteria I needed to remake the look, I left with the outfit. For just $8, I was excited to create a brand new look I could wear out shopping, to a get together, to lunch, a date, or any occasion I wanted to have a considerably fashionable look for.

Explain Your Process For Creating This Look

The matching pants and blazer set was perfect for what I needed. The blazer already had everything I was looking for. It had quite a few front buttons, was oversized, and had vents on the front. All it needed was a trendy belt over it and the cuffs rolled up for a trendy fall look. The pants I actually didn’t need as pants at all. My goal was to create a sheer pleated skirt.

I placed pins where I wanted to cut out a new waistband. I purposely cut the waistband from the front of the pants instead of using the leg panels because I wanted to keep the linearity of the pinstripes on the front of the new waistband. After I cut the pieces out, I set them on their own and made sure the edges matched each other and then proceeded to sew the side seams and press them into a long folded strip.

Next, I took some excess sheer accordion pleated fabric I had from a previous project, and gathered the top edge to a total length of 26” to fit my waist size. After it was gathered, I attached the “wrong sides” together to the waistband and folded the insides into the waistband for a smooth finish.

When it was all attached, I trimmed the accordion pleated tulle to 28” which was my desired length for the skirt to hit right at the shins. At this point, we were ready for our photoshoot.

What was your inspiration for the finished piece?

My stylist and I have been scouring fashion trends for chic and polished looks for fall. We wanted something that didn’t fit within the basic mold of sweaters paired with booties and a scarf. One of my personal favorite outfits is anything ranging from a matching pant-suit, collared button down shirts and a good heel. With cold weather approaching, we were inspired by heavier textiles and darker colors. And thus, our idea was born.