Style Spy Does the D.I.Y.

Sometimes your friend Style Spy isn't very bright. And sometimes she gets lucky & figures stuff out. To wit:

I bought this Alice + Olivia blouse... oh, a while ago. Months. Longer.



and I've never worn it. I bought it because it was down to nothing at the NM outlet and I liked the way it fit and I liked the lace and thought it would be a great layering piece. But I never wore it because of those sleeeeeeeeeves.



That is a lot of sleeve. It's pretty and all, but really not my thing. I'm way too grown up for that whole Stevie Nicks/Renn Faire thing (Hear ye, hear ye! If ye can legally rent ye olde automobile, ye are too old for princess clothes!!); not to mention you can only wear this if you know you're not going to be eating anything, and who wants to limit herself like that?

(Style Spy gets her Stevie Nicks on)

(Remember how I told you the Wacaol nude was perfect for me? Check that out. I forgot to put on a camisole before I took these pictures, but you can barely see that bra!)

So the top has been languishing in the closet all this time. I've put it on a few times & tried to make it work, but it just never did.

In the meantime, I've fallen for this lovely, from Balmain.

I don't like to jump on the All-Worship-Balmain bandwagon, but I do really love that lace t-shirt.

So. Inspired by some excellent D.I.Y. I've been seeing on some of my favorite blogs, like Garance Dore's, I had lightning bolt and realized how to solve both of these dilemmas in one stroke:

(Two strokes, actually. One for each sleeve.)

And the result:

(Remembered the camisole for this one.)

Muuuuuch better, wouldn't you agree? Pretty, stylish, and useful! I do feel a wee twinge about the loss of all that pretty lace, but I'll hang onto it. It'll make for a lovely pocket square or something. I also think I'm going to go back & shorten the sleeves just a bit more -- this length is just not... quite.

It was the right thing to do. I've already worn it. I wore the night I did it, as a matter of fact, out for a glass (who are we kidding, a bottle) of wine with a friend.

(Gap shorts, Golde sequined vest, Marni platforms, various vintage necklaces)

I really liked the way this outfit worked, except the sequins snagged a bit on the lace, so I may not wear it with this particular vest again. It's still the look I was after -- I need to continue t keep my eye peeled for a vest with this silhouette, sans sequins.

So. I'm officially crafty. Whaddya think?

Images: Style Spy, Polyvore.com, Style.com, Vogue