Clothes don’t last forever but when they have treasured memories attached, it is great to be able to extend their lifespan through restyle and repair.

My friend Lisa bought this gorgeous silk outfit about 12 years ago for a special occasion and it has served her well since, being hand-washed and worn at least a dozen times.

Recently when she was warmly hugging friends farewell at a function, Lisa felt the underarms rip in what she laughingly describes as a ‘blow out’ which left the delicate silk torn and frayed.

After umming and ahing over upcycle options and green tea, and seeing that Lisa had already hand-repaired the same area once before, we decided to remove the sleeves altogether. 

So we cut the three-quarter length sleeves from the body, as well as cutting off the navy waist ties from each side of the wraparound top (leaving about 2cm on which to hand-stitch fastenings). We finished the armholes using some of the navy tie, so the sleeve-edge now matches the neck-edge. We also took a tuck in each side-seam under the arms, to ensure a good fit. We then hand-stitched two press studs at either side of the top to secure.  The new top can be worn with a cameo under – or a skivvy when long sleeves are preferred. The skirt remains as its original beautiful self. I wonder if this refashion will enable Lisa’s favourite silk outfit to last another 12 years?