The modded knotted vest

You might have heard it before, but I have a special love for open-front vests. They're so useful—both for covering up bare shoulders in the summer, and breaking up large expanses of fabric in the winter. Over the past couple years, I've been making a concerted effort to expand my collection of vests to encompass a wider range of colors, so I can have a vest to suit any outfit!

One color vest I recently acquired is this, in faded magenta.

I appreciated the color, but not the fit. I prefer a more traditional up-and-down look to my vests, and didn't like the way the front panels curved to the back and bulged back there like a sack. So I fixed it!

I detached the front panels almost the entire length, and then reattached them so they hung straight down! 

Sounds simple, but it took me a number of tries to get the alignment right. At left is one of many try-ons in the mirror.

I didn't need to finish any of the raw edges, since the knit didn't look like it was planning to fray any time soon, but I felt the front panels would look more refined if I sewed the open parts shut again, so I turned them inside out, ran a seam along what would be the back and bottom edge of each, and then flipped it right-side-out and finished the remaining few stitches by hand.

I thought about shortening the front panels, but I like the long draped look in front, even if it makes the back look paltry by comparison.

This way, the panels can hang down, or they can be knotted at the front, which creates a cute effect!

I decided to make the vest the focus of today's outfit—a veritable study in magentas. I have the lilac blouse, the reddish vest over top, the burgundy boots and matching earrings...and then black pants to prevent color overload!