Long time ago I bought two short-sleeve t-shirt dresses at The Gap for pennies: this orange one and this blue one. They ended above my knees but I was convinced if I stretched them enough, they would reach and I could wear them modestly and wonderfully. Case in point: they didn’t…but I wore them anyway. Then I noticed they would shrink a little after each wash…and with these already-short-dresses, I couldn’t risk having them shorter! So I never washed them again. Kidding. That’s gross.
Instead, I took a pair of scissors and cut the bottoms right off! Well, I tried one on and made sure I knew where I wanted the shirt to end. And then I marked it with a pin and carefully slipped the shirt off over my head and THEN I took my scissors and cut the bottoms right off! Now I have two “brand new” t-shirts that are perfect and acceptable in my closet.
If you have any dresses that are just a little too short for comfort, turn it into a shirt instead! I didn’t hem my shirts because they’re both made of a stretchy jersey fabric that rolls up a little at the bottom and I liked it raw and crazy like that! What can I say? I’m a wild one. If you have a sewing machine, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to hem your shirts after you cut them. But don’t forget to cut the bottom a little longer so you have extra fabric left over to hem! If you don’t have a sewing machine, check out hem tape!
For more of Elaine’s fashion visit Clothed Much.
Jacki says
I hope you can help! I have this shirt/dress thing that I love! It’s a bit too long to be comfortable as a shirt but way too short to even dare to wear as a dress, but I love it! It has a color pattern where it starts purple and fades to green. It also sinches right under the bust. I want to make it shorter by removing fabric from the middle so I don’t take away from the green on the bottom. Any suggestions for this? My sewing skills are pretty basic so anything to make this easier or possible would be great!
Jolene Garcia says
same problem here. but instead of cutting it, i wear it with dark tights/leggings. i didn’t modify anything of it as i really like it just like it is, but now i’m not showing too much of skin.
Cindy says
I had nightgowns, short ones, that got too short, so I cut them off for p j tops, works great!!
Reese says
I’ve done this with 2 too-short dresses! I get comments on my shirts every time I wear them too! I also take some of the extra fabric from the bottom of the skirt and make headbands out of them to wear with my shirts. I love headbands!
Oona says
Great idea, thanks!
Summer says
I picked up some American Eagle sun dresses at down east last spring and I knew instantly they were too short to wear. So I did just the opposite of you. I cut off the tops and turned them into skirts. All my sisters and sisters in law loved them so much they all went and got some and did the same! I did hem the tops of my skirts but my little sisters didn’t and theirs look just as great!
jill says
Great idea! I love how you paired it with the jackets!
christa says
love it- i def have some too short dresses, that are jersey too!
Missy says
I never would have thought of that – thanks!
Kate says
Brilliant I say, Brilliant!
Anne Marie says
Great idea! But in her case, according to these pictures, I didn’t think the dresses were too short!
Lisa says
Bah! I JUST got rid of the cutest dress because it was too short! I totally could have made a shirt from it!!
Lisa says
And I’m a crafty sewer! I should have thought of that!
Catherine says
I had this exact problem with a maternity dress I got at Old Navy when I was pregnant! I wore it to church once & spent all 3 hours yanking it down; after washing it, it was even more hopeless! So it just went into my maternity clothes bin after one wearing. I wish I’d seen this back then! The next time I’m preggo I’ll definitely pull that dress out & cut it off for a shirt. Brilliant! I’m totally following your blog now. I hope you love LA; that’s where I grew up!
Ashley says
oh how fun to see my dear friend Elaine get featured on HowDoesShe! She rocks 🙂
Lynn from For Love or Funny says
This is a great idea! I have a too-short dress that is ready to be worn as a shirt…