Black Poppy - Refashioned Floral Dress

The original dress (plus some wrinkles)

This dress, like so many of my other refashioned items, was found in an op-shop (for the bargain price of £2.99! I love Salvos!), and originally from Marks and Spencers. I loved the print and drapey fabric, and the bodice evoked 1940s dresses with its double-breasted opening. Unfortunately, it was a size 16, and way too long for me - the skirt went down to my ankles. The shoulders were also much too big, and padded as well, for full 1980s effect.

Out came my trusty seam ripper, and off went the sleeves and skirt. There was some elastic along the waist, so I gently unpicked that too, and saved it, just in case. I started by adding some bust and waist darts, and then took in an inch along each side seam, to bring in the bodice and make it a closer fit. The shoulders were still too big, so I cut off an inch at the top (narrowing it down to nothing at the bottom of the armscye). This of course meant the sleeves were a little too big when I tried to set them in, so instead of gathering and easing it in, I added two little pleats to the top of the sleeves. You can see how that turned out in the photo above - I'm quite pleased with it, although of course it means I have to iron them down after every wash.

After that, everything else got done fairly quickly and smoothly. I gathered the skirt and attached it back to the bodice, then reattached the elastic that I had unpicked from the dress earlier. The belt was still much too big though, so I added a couple more holes with the help of my trusty eyelet kit. I found mine in an op-shop, but you can find a similar kit here - trust me, it's more useful than you think it will be. 

The only thing left was to shorten the skirt. I briefly considered leaving it long, as I'm partial to a good mid-length skirt, but this just looked a little too mumsy for my taste. So I ended up taking a good EIGHT inches off, which left it at a nice just-above-the-knee length. Job done, and it's quickly become one of the dresses I reach for whenever I want to feel just a little bit (not too much) dressed up.

Villa Royale, Paris

Nope, there's no need to adjust your screens. The Villa Royale, which was our home for our four nights in Paris, is indeed this colourful and OTT. Oh why yes, I did go to Paris again, a mere month after my last 24-hour trip there. Why? Mainly because I just wanted to spend more time eating tiny cakes and walking around Paris, and also because it was a big-number birthday for me. I was completely enraptured by the blinged-out decor when searching for a hotel online, and to top it off, there was a whopping 30% off the price. Sometimes the stars just align...

Anyway, the Villa Royal certainly lived up to my expectations. All the photos above were taken in the lobby, and I haven't even got to the rooms yet. Each room is named after a notable French person - we got the Edith Piaf room, which had French windows that opened out onto a little balcony overlooking the Place Pigalle. 

Now, Place Pigalle has a reputation for being seedy and rowdy, and is lined with neon-lit sex shops, so may not be the ideal destination for some, but I really enjoyed staying there. I liked the neon lights, and the liveliness, and the general energy of the area. Aaand it's only a 5 minute stroll from the famous Moulin Rouge, as well as being very close to Montmartre and Rue des Martyrs, a street lined with yummy food shops and restaurants (more on that in a later post). 

Our room was on the small side, but then again, most rooms in Paris seem to be small. It's a very crowded city, after all. Anyway, who goes to Paris to spend all day in their rooms?! By the way, did I mention our room had pink silk walls? And a princess bed? And pink padding on all the doors? All in all, a delicious girly confection of a room. I did feel rather sorry for Manbacon, although he did say that he liked it a lot more than other more minimalist hotel rooms. I'm sure he actually loved it too.

Royal York Hotel

Some pictures of The Royal York, a funny, slightly grandiose, almost falling apart kind of hotel that we stayed in during our weekend in Brighton last month. My favourite bit was the scaffolding propping up the main staircase.