Riding Habit

This skirt has an interesting history. I bought it a couple years ago, when bubble skirts were first emerging as a trend. Originally the plaid top layer was gathered in, tucked under and sewn to the bottom ruffled layer, giving it a bubble shape. But as much as I adored the crinkly plaid fabric and the ruffle-hemmed lining, and as cute as the skirt looked in the online photos, the shape just didn't suit my figure when I put it on. Having ordered it from La Redoute in France, I was loathe to try to send it back, so it just hung there in my closet after I wore it maybe once. A few times I pulled it out and tried to work with it, but it just didn't look right no matter what I tried.

Months and years went by, and there it hung. Finally I decided to try to unload it on eBay, figuring that at least if I recouped a little bit of money then I wouldn't feel so bad about the whole episode. But the skirt didn't sell, and so it then sat for several more months in a seldom-used drawer. Last week I opened up that drawer, saw the skirt, and had an epiphany: I would simply cut the two layers apart and hem the skirt, thereby losing the bubble shape and reducing some of the fullness.

An hour or so of cutting and sewing later, I was finished, and lo and behold, it worked! The fullness is now concentrated at the bottom hem instead of around my thighs where it had been before. Though the change is subtle, to me it makes all the difference in the world, and I'm now thrilled with how the skirt looks and feels. Pairing it with my brown boots and saddle belt brings out the English riding habit vibe that made me love the skirt in the first place.

So what would I have done differently? Well, I think I would still take a chance and order something I loved, even if I was certain I wouldn't return it if I didn't like it. What I would change is not to be afraid of exploring other options for the item if it didn't work out, even if those options included taking the scissors to it. I could've foreseen even when ordering the skirt that changing it to a non-bubble shape would be a super easy fix; a few moments spent thinking about that when I placed the order might have spared me from living with a mostly unworn item in my wardrobe for far too long.

Lace top: Dark Garden
Olive top: Susina
Belt: Audra Jean
Boots: Bata