Tie Dye Time!

If the Unfashionista were to have a personal motto (other than "Fun with Colors"), it would have to be "Never Say Never."

Though I claimed last year that one dip in the tie dye bath would be enough for me, I was wrong. Tie dye continued to flourish in the world of fashion and even home furnishings, and it was said to have experienced a huge wave of popularity during the spring and summer. I didn't observe this personally because I pretty much took a break from fashion in favor of social distancing, but that's what they say. I did feel personally that it was one of the most trendy things I own, so my single tie-dye shirt became pretty much my go-to tee over the past year, whenever I wanted to seem a little bit more with the times. (Self-congratulation alert: I even got a compliment on its bright and happy colors during a hike despite our noticeably less friendly times!)

But this post isn't about my tie-dye tee, it's about my tie-dye blouse!

Once I had gotten over my initial aversion to the idea of tie dye, I continued to see examples of "tasteful tie dye" in my news feeds and shopping haunts, and decided I wouldn't mind having more of a good thing. Late this summer, I bought two tie-dye tops at Swap.com for a total of 5 dollars, one of them being this one!

 

This one took a little work to get into a wearable condition. It was very short and very wide and very unflattering on my frame. 

 

I reduced the size of the sleeve openings and took in the sides, then added waist ties to give it a more body-conforming shape.

It's still shorter than I prefer a loose shirt to be—I thought about extending the length with the offcuts from the sides and sleeves, but decided that wouldn't work. So it's finished!

I had the opportunity to wear it out into the big wide world today because I had a dentist appointment. If you ever want to feel better about having two teeth drilled, just wear a new fashionable top for the procedure!

"Fashionable" is relative, of course—the same sources who informed me of the tie-dye wave this summer also tell me it's on the wane. But if the Unfashionista were to have a third personal motto, it would have to be "Better late than never!"