Sunday, April 8, 2012

Why Art Matters - Marisa's New Dress a Day Blog

Marisa in the "before" shot of the dress I sent her in June 2011.


I stumbled on Marisa's NDAD blog back in 2010, in the middle of her 365 days/$365 challenge. As she explains it, she was in a creative funk/job crisis and was inspired by the movie Julie/Julia, the story of one woman working her way through the Joy of Cooking. She decided an exercise that would easy on her pocketbook and indulge her creative tendencies as well as her skills as a seamstress would be to acquire a "new dress a day" on a budget of only $1.

The results were spectacular as well as entertaining. I got to see a parade of fashion from handbags to headbands. I was astonished to see the pink version of the creamy yellow dress (Day 52, January 2010) I wore to that dinner party at CH's (breakup songs blog #1). I loved her remakes of tired 80s dresses into very modern tunics. I was very entertained by the muu-muu makeovers into some very colorful party dresses.

The tone of the blog is fun, with step-by-step instructions as she reworks a rag into something especially fashionable, inspired by something she saw in a magazine or a runway look. She gives fans a little glimpse into her life by posting pics of herself wearing her creations in everyday situations - eating, going to concerts, hanging out with friends. And her RIT dye addiction is a special kinda awesome.

Her creativity has generated media interest, and she regularly posts shots of her on talk shows, magazines and the like. This has resulted in a book deal, one I am looking forward to having on my shelf next to my copy of Glamour's Do's and Don'ts.

What has it done for me? I've been a thrift/resale shopper since that fateful day at Haight/Ashbury back in 2002, but reading her blog has generated a new enthusiasm for living as greenly/cheaply/chicly (sp?) as possible. I look at clothes a new way when I go thrifting, looking not only for fit and structure, but also for potential. My wardrobe inventory is referenced, knowing that I can jazz up a World Mission Thrift $2 dress with an antique pin, my motorcycle boots or a cardigan. I also know my way around a pair of scissors, crystals and E2000 glue.

One example is the blue-green sweater dress purchased for $1.50. The fit around the boobs was tight, not great. Wondering "what would Marisa do?" I snipped open the top two buttons that were inexplicably sewn shut, and added a white ruched tank top underneath. It changed the look of the top dramatically, and looks rockin' with leggings and boots.

So take some inspiration from Marisa and review her smart fashion transformations, then take your dollars to the thrift store for a makeover.

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