I immediately fell in love with the colors on this dress when I saw it, but I hesitated to buy it since it was covered in stains. I'm pretty confident in my stain-removing abilities when it comes to polyester (hot water + OxiClean = miracles). The problem was that this isn't polyester and I also wasn't 100% sure what the fabric content was. Cotton, some kind of cotton blend, something else entirely? Anyway, the price was low enough that I said 'fuck it' and gave it a go.

I'm glad I did because it cleaned up with almost no effort! OxiClean saved the day without making those amazing bright colors run! (*insert Billy Mays here*)

The next issue was the length. The hem hit right across my knees in the most awkward and unflattering way. Another easy fix! I did a quick snip and hem and made it into a cute mini. I was already in love with the rest of the dress (those sleeves!), so all-in-all this was a pretty simple alteration.

I actually styled it a few ways before landing on this look - which is by far my favorite. I recently found this vintage felt hat for $1 (it was dirty and beat up) and did my first hat restoration project ever. It's nice to be able to show it off! The boots were a DIY project I decided to try. They started out as thrifted black boots and I spray painted them silver. I just haven't been able to find the perfect pair of silver boots, so I took matters into my own hands. So many projects in one outfit!