An old unwanted shirt revived to a beautiful skirt

I redesigned my hubby’s silk shirt into a skirt

Some time ago, we bought a shirt for my husband. On the first view the shirt looked like a camouflage shirt, and he likes camouflage. However, when unpacking it turned out to be a Hawaiian shirt inspired floral print in camouflage colors. Thus, it was not his style. Unfortunately, we had lost the receipt, so we couldn’t exchange/return the shirt. My husband wore it a couple of times as I really liked the shirt. However, then the shirt disappeared somewhere in the back of the closet. Needless to say, it just hang there taking up real estate.

When you didn't wear an item in a season, you will not wear it in the next season. It will just take up real estate. Donate it or toss it, but get rid of it. #tip Click To Tweet

upcycling fashion blogger in a Hawaiian print skirt redesigned from a men's old shirt — Liz Claiborne silk blouse, statement belt, Dooney and Brouke bag, Prada pointy toe pumps, Ray Ban mirrored sunglasses, studded head band, skirt made from a Vintage Silk men’s shirt (all own), and best girlfriends bracelet c/o Chico’s. See the pocket on the left side of my skirt

Spring closet overhaul

This spring, I helped him with his closet overhaul (see link for a tutorial) and pulled out the shirt. I had already forgotten about it, so had my husband. He immediately threw it onto the pile “I can’t even remember when I wore it the last time.”

upcycling blogger in a self-made skirt from a shirt — Zoom-in on the outfit with self-made skirt. Liz Claiborne violet silk shirt, violet crocodile imprint statement belt, Hermes collier de chien bangle, Dooney and Brouke snake print tote, Prada high heels, Ray Ban aviator sunglasses, self-made skirt from a Vintage Silk Hawaiian shirt (all own), and best girlfriends bracelet c/o Chico’s

How I upcycled the shirt

When sorting out which clothes to give to charity and which clothes go into trash, I pulled it out as it was in pristine conditions. It was a heavy silk shirt that just flows perfectly for a skirt. Furthermore, I have always loved a Hawaiian inspired print floral print, and I love camouflage colors.

Check old clothes for their potential of upcycling. #upcyclingblog #recycling Click To Tweet

mildife woman in floral skirt, violet blouse and pumps with snake print work tote — Back view of Vintage Silk floral print shirt upcycled as a skirt. Liz Claiborne blouse, leather belt, studded head band, Dooney and Brouke work tote, Prada pumps, Hermes collier de chien bangle (all own), and best girlfriends bracelet c/o Chico’s

Camouflage is sort of a neutral that goes with almost everything. #styletip Click To Tweet

The shirt must be at least one size larger than your size. In my case, it was an XL while I wear a size S. I made a straight line starting just underneath the left sleeve to just underneath the right sleeve. Then I cut off the sleeves along the line. The lower part became the skirt. Next I created a bias cut waistband to my waist measures plus two inches. I used pre-made bias cut band you can buy in any sewing store. Of course, you can create the bias-cut waist band from the sleeves if you like.

Then I distributed and pinned the shirt’s former body part along the waist band leaving an inch of the waistband free on each side. Note that I pinned the waistband to the left side of the skirt part and then sewed it on. I folded the waist band over to the right side. To make the job easy I ironed the fold and the rough part so I could do the sewing easily after pinning the the waistband to the right side of the skirt. I pushed the 1 inch ends of the waistband inside the “tube” created by the waistband. Then I closed the tube with a couple of stiches. I used eye hooks to close the waistband. However, large press buttons would work too.

It was just a fifteen minutes procedure from cutting to having the new skirt in hand. I tried the skirt on and liked what I saw in the mirror. I went downstairs where my hubby was working on the computer.

older lady in summer work outfit with high heels, shirt and upcycled skirt — Front view of summer work outfit with upcycled skirt. Liz Claiborne shirt, statement belt, Dooney and Brouke purse, Parda pointy toe heels, Ray Ban aviators, Hermes collier de chien bangle (all own), and best girlfriends bracelet c/o Chico’s

More silk fabric for sewing

I walked around and made noise so he had to notice me. He looked up and said in an astonished voice “That’s my old shirt!” “You put it on the pile of clothes you didn’t want to wear anymore, remember?” I replied. “What do you think?” “You will cause a new trend of skirts with a pocket on the left side and a men’s button line.” he replied. “Should I take the pocket off?” “No, it looks great.” he answered, stood up, and went pass me going upstairs. When he came back, he had about 10 other beautiful silk shirts on his arms. “Here you have some more material.” he said and put the pile in front of me on the table.

Upcycle an old silk shirt into a skirt. #DIY #upcycling Click To Tweet

What happened to the other silk shirts?

One of the silk button-downs had colors matching my oyster maxi leather coat with faux fur trim. I always had a hard time how to style this coat. The silk of the old shirt was turned into an infinity scarf. Four of them were redesigned into a dance skirt.

Interested in other upcycling DIY projects?

When you like DIY, you may also enjoy reading how to shorten a high-low hem dress, how to dye a clothes or how to make your own clothes.

Top of the World Style linkup

Welcome to the 160^th Top of the World Style linkup party.

Top of the World Style awards

The featured bloggers today are Melody, Johlene, and Yaya.

#linkup Top of the World OOTD Readers' Fav Melody Jacobs — Melody, the fashion blogger at Melody Jacobs, became Top of the World OOTD Readers’ Fav. Photo from her post

You clicked Melody’s post the most and hence made her Top of the World Readers’ Fav. She is the CEO, media influencer, content creator, and lifestyle blogger at Melody Jacobs. She is also a fashion model.Melody writes, among other thins, about diversity and being a self-made woman.

#linkup Top of the World OOTD My Fav Johlene — Johlene, the lifestyle blogger at Johlene Orton, became Top of the World OOTD My Fav. Photo from her post

Johlene’s inspiring combination of white, red and pink became my Fav. It sent me down memory lane remembering my pink dress with white polka dots and matching jacket that I had in first grade. I loved to wear it with a red bag. Let’s get back to Johlene’s outfit. She really rocks this summery look of red gingham off the shoulder top with modest midi skirt. Johlene is the lifestyle blogger at Johlene Orton. She is from South African, but lives in Spain. She write about her life in a foreign world, travel, fashion, and being creative.

#linkup Top of the World Style Winner Yaya — Yaya, the lifestyle blogger at Dolce La Vida, won the Top of the World Style feature. Photo from her post

Yaya became the lucky winner of the Top of the World Style feature. Her entry number was drawn by the random generator. She is the French style blogger at La Vida Dulce, which means “The Sweet Life” in Spanish. You may know her from her first blog called Randomly Yaya, where she blogged about a lot of random topics like travel, food, and fun. Yaya was raised on the East Coast, but born in the Mid-West. When you take a look at her blog, you’ll see she is a very “keep-it-real”, super honest type of person.On her blog, she writes about fashion, travel, food, health, fitness, and keeping motivated.

Congrats Ladies! Grab your award banners.

When you want to get a free feature at the party apply to become a co-host.

Readers and bloggers of all age and gender, please link up your instagram or blog outfit posts. Just click the blue button below to get to the party. It would be nice if you link back to this post. Thanks for joining and stopping by. I am glad you are here.