altered : vintage cocktail dress

I found this little 50's cocktail dress at a thrift shop in Ohio with my Grandma this summer. The price tag? $5!! Oh, I was so excited about it I practically squealed right there in the store!!

But then when I tried it on, it wouldn't completely zip up in the back! boohoo!!

 Well, no matter.  I was not going to leave that baby on the rack for just $5 so I bought it anyway. 

 There was very little excess fabric near the seams that could be "let out" to give just the two inches of space I needed up the back... but I thought something could be done somehow to alter it.  As I got thinking about it though, I realized that if I tried to alter it, I'd be certain to ruin it! So when Daddy left for TN the day after I got back from Ohio, I sent it with him to pass along to Eleanna. Thankfully she was totally okay with a dress coming at her out of the blue!

{She mailed it back in time for me to wear to the Indy Roof Dance!!}

When I unrolled the dress and took a peek at the seams, I must admit I was slightly skeptical! The only sign of any alteration was a tiny strip of added fabric around the waistband. "Did she forget that I needed  it let out around the torso, not the waist?" I wondered. But as I stepped into the dress and pulled it up, it zipped up simply perfectly! I.was.in.AWE! Eleanna was such an amazing seamstress that she could alter something and it *not look* altered!! wow! 

thankyou.thankyou.thankyou!!!

So here's to best friends and altering vintage dresses!

 The dress has an amazing twirl factor!!

{thanks to Daddy for the photos}