Oh yes, we’ve entered the world of bottoms. I think the only time these linen capris from Banana Republic looked right on me was when I tried them on in the store… before washing, drying and needing to iron…and iron…and iron them. The material is luxurious, but the waist was a little droopy, the legs were a little billowy and the bum was a little saggy. No one likes a saggy bum!
I love the waistband and the pockets, so I left those in place and just took in an inch to make the skirt fit a bit higher on my middle. I cut off the legs and unpicked the cuffs and what do you know? I had just enough fabric to use each one horizontally across the front and back of the skirt! Even enough to create the little inverted pleats in the front.
Uggg. Why would any designer put pockets without closures in linen pants? It takes half a bottle of starch and the iron on high for those puppies to lay down flat! And there’s the saggy bum in all it’s glory!
A gentle summer breeze passed through the porch as I snapped this shot. I think it shows off the new found freedom these capris-turned-skirt feel! Rather than full pleats in the back, I just put a couple darts in for contour, then left the soft fabric to hang. The box pleats around the hem were a last minute addition, as I realized the skirt was about 4 inches longer than I wanted. I cut of the 4 inch strip, cut in in half to make two long 2 inch strips, folded and ironed it to make two long 1 inch folded strips, then I folded and tucked and ironed until the whole hemline could be circled. A nice addition I think!
More Project Repurpose the Wardrobe Here.