On my last two trips to Italy, I couldn’t help but pick up every pretty vintage Edwardian dress I saw on my trip. The intricate lace necklines and billowy washed cotton silhouettes were just too irresistibly beautiful to pass up.
On one hot 90 degree day in LA this past week, I pulled out every single one of my Italian treasures. These billowy cotton dresses were practically made for hot summer days like these.
The only problem is I couldn’t figure out how to wear them. Worn as is, the dresses felt too prairie for me. I played with toughening them up with my big beaten up belts and boots and still nothing worked.
I took a break from my styling session and scrolled on Pinterest only to stumble upon an image of Jane Birkin I’ve seen a million times before that suddenly took on new meaning to me.
What if the dress didn’t need a belt? What if it just needed to be short, like extra short?
There was a time not too long ago that I proclaimed that I would never where a dress above my knees. It wasn’t chic. But I’ve lived through enough fashion cycles now to know that after every bold proclamation I make I’ll inevitably end up eating my own words.
So with the picture of Jane in my mind, I threw on one of my favorite dresses out of the bunch and started pinning her short- Jane Birkin short.
Immediately, it felt right.
I was hesitant to make a 17 inch chop because I always feel like major alterations on vintage feels a little sacrilegious but I knew I wouldn’t wear the dress in it’s current state and the only thing worse than mutilating vintage is not wearing it at all.
So I pinned up the rest of the dresses on my rack, made my notes, and dropped off my entire stack of Italian treasures to the tailor- they were able to turn them around in a day.
It was the longest day of my life.
I ripped open my bag of alterations and slipped on each one. To say I was immediately obsessed with the results feels like an understatement. My little stack of Italian treasures went from absolutely untouched in my closet to all I want to wear on hot, sticky, summer days.
Now, I have a new fashion proclamation to make- everyone, and I mean everyone, needs a cheeky little white dress in their closet. They are the world’s easiest piece to wear on a hot, summer day and the length is just fun. This is the summer of fun after all.
Today I’m sharing the exact recipe I used to transform my gorgeous, long, vintage Edwardian nightgown collection into a collection of cheeky little white dresses-including directions to give to the tailor, things to consider before making the chop, and a curated vintage collection of cheeky worthy dresses (and their perfect cheeky short companions).
Let’s get into it.
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Step 1: Find a Dress with Potential
To get started you need a great vintage dress with potential. There are heaps on eBay and Etsy for around $100- $165 which feels like a steal considering the craftsmanship of these pieces.
What to Look for: Dresses that have simple, clean hems that make shortening easy and embroidered necklines that feel extra special. Sleeves options are plentiful and especially nice for anyone who is arm shy.
Here are some of my favorites:
Step 2: Find your Length
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