A Tweak Here, A Tweak There

Monday 19 August 2013


I can't leave things alone. It's gotten to be a bit of a habit with me and it all stems from the fact that if you're a bit of a shorty, things don't always fit. A sleeve here, a hemline there, you just get used to doing a few alterations to make things work for you.

Take my old linen top from Jigsaw. I bought this the week I finished work years ago and it was the top I wore when I left the premises. When I bought it, there was part of me that said I have no job now and I shouldn't buy this as I should be watching the pennies but there was the other argument that said - it might be the last nice thing I buy for a while. I preferred the second argument and bought it.

It is however a little low on the cleavage front. 

That's the nearest you're going to get to a cleavage shot from me!


Bend over in this and you get a veritable eyeful. I tend to wear it with a little vest top underneath for modesty's sake but on hot days I prefer to not have to wear a vest so I decided to unpick the lace detail off an old top and attached it to the linen one to raise the neckline. The same effect if I were to wear a lace cami vest underneath ... but not as hot.

There we go. Little Miss Prude.


And not happy with that tweak, I did a second tweak. I bet you thought this was a pretty straightforward outfit didn't you? I also sanded my sandals.

Left - unsanded. Right - sanded. 

I started sanding the left sandal before I remembered to take a picture (doh!)


The sandals were in the H&M sale. I liked the back detail and the higher ankle strap which I find quite flattering on the leg. I have to say, I must be one of the few bloggers who does not have a pair of Sam Edelman Gigi thong sandals. They do not suit me whatsoever and heaven knows I've tried but my fat feet need more coverage. The only thing about the sandals which I wasn't keen on was the the silver leopard spots which were a touch too solid and shiny. So I sanded the silver spots down. Like you do. I'm not recommending everyone do this - it's just that the spots looked to be printed on suede so I had a feeling this would work. A little scratch with a thumb nail proved me right and then further work with an emery board and the spots were erm ... tamed. 

So that's it. Just a little tweak here, a little tweak there.

Jigsaw linen top (old), Gap Mini Skimmer Khakis, H&M Sandals


So are you a bit of tweaker like me or do you live with things as they are? 

.... and who's a thong sandal girl? And who's a strap across? I'm definitely in the second camp.









35 comments

  1. Sanding your sandals - mad but genius! Love the Jigsaw top. Proves how wise you were to buy it :-)

    I have the inclination to tweak sometimes but rarely the necessary organisation or energy.

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    1. Oh yes - I'm positively barking at times but sanding the sandals did the job. I also didn't wear the Jigsaw top that much purely because of the low neckline but the touch of lace seems to keep everything in order. I like the cleaner lines of it without the lace but needs must as I'm not much for letting it all hang out. I like to "put them away".

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  2. Love the tweaks - blouse and sandals. I am a tweaker in my head but in reality I never seem to get round to actioning the diry deed (maybe it's called being lazy!). I think sandal wise it's a strap for me! :)

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  3. Of course that was meant to read 'dirty' deed - no idea what 'diry' means!

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    1. I usually stockpile the items which need tweaking and then have a mad afternoon on them. I don't like things to get the better of me especially if I know I like them.

      And good to hear you're in the strap camp. It took me till I was in my thirties to even consider flip flops - that's how opposed I was to thong type shoes.

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  4. In my head I tweak madly, but in reality I'm totally useless at anything that requires a needle and thread. This is probably why my local dry cleaner hails me with great good humour each time he sees me ... I reckon I'm one of the best customers for his alterations service!

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    1. Well I actually have a huge list of things I'd like to chop and change to give things a new lease of life but I have to wait for the crafty flurry to take over and then off I go but it doesn't come very often. The one thing I wish I could really do - coat sleeves. So rare for me to find a coat with sleeves which fit. Even the petite ones are still too long sometimes. And jeans!!! But I can do those now.

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  5. Excellent tweaks on both Sue! The blouse looks so much better and the sandals are totally you with the sanding (whatever it takes!). In general I try to leave things alone as I hate to fiddle but sometimes it has to be done I admit.

    I have such broad feet there's no way I can put thongs on them and I agree about the flip flops - literally only poolside..on holiday. And I don't care for the fancy ones, they're STILL flip flops lol!

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    1. That's interesting to hear that you have broad feet because you have a pair of the Sam Edelman Trinas and I always thought they came up quite narrow going by the reviews. I've avoided them for that very reason.

      And how many people do you know sand their sandals?

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  6. I can't really sew. I make it up as I go along. I think I have a craft gene in me somewhere - that's how I ended up making jewellery after I started working out how to make something I wanted to wear. Some alterations I leave strictly to the professionals but the price of alterations in the UK is quite prohibitive. I send some of my lighter pieces back to Hong Kong with my sister when she goes there.

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  7. If I had one ounce of skill then I would do this more but sadly I was not born with that gene!!

    Love the way you customised the top - brilliant!

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    1. Fiona - you sell yourself short - you are wonderwoman. I'm sure you can sew.

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  8. You are so clever with the top!! I love the after product. Good job, Sue:)

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    1. Thanks Melody. It looks positively girly now doesn't it?

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  9. Great tweaking! I'm in the fat, flat feet camp - I can't do thong sandals or ankle straps - I think I must have cankles :)

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    1. I don't think I have flat feet, just fat feet so I should see that as a blessing at least. And I'm not brilliant with ankle straps and dresses/skirts but they're okay with jeans and pants like I've worn them. If I have cankles - I can't see them.

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  10. Great tweaking - I often try and ruin things so best left alone by me! Love the top with the lac insert x

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    1. Oh go on - I'm sure you can tweak a few things in your wardrobe if you really had to. Cheaper than the tailors, I guarantee.

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  11. Love what you have done here!! The lace insert on the top is a fantastic addition, totally enhances it!! I love getting the needle and thread out and modifying things....get a great deal of pleasure out of doing that. As for the sandals....what a genius idea!! They look so much better!! H&M should employ you xx

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    1. Hi Michelle! I think you should do a post on the things that you've been a little creative on. I love seeing other people's projects and things which have new life breathed in to them.

      And I'm not sure H&M really want to employ me - I'm hacking their designs to bits.

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  12. the lace addition is so sneaky sue, in fact if you didn't post the "before" shot i would have assumed it came like that! i love tweaking too - ever since i got a sewing machine for christmas, haha..

    steph / absolutely-fuzzy.com

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    1. I have my sister's sewing machine and I've just brought it back out and set it up and done nothing with it. I find it sometimes easier to just get on with a needle and thread and do stuff by hand especially for small tweaks like this. I'm one of those people - if it looks okay on the surface, it's fine.

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  13. Hi Sue! Well done on your craftwork-the top looks lovely with the added lace and the sandals do look better! Hope you're having a good week! Loving your new Uniqlo jacket too xxx

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    1. Hi Sharon, hope you're having a good week too and thanks about the top and sandals. I'm just not a very blingy type of girl so the shine had to go on the sandals. Makes them a bit easier to wear in the daytime.

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  14. What a great hack on the top! Of course, I kind of love the way it looked before as well, but I can totally understand how bending over might turn into a dangerous gesture. It looks really great with the lace bit on, no one would ever know you hacked it! So brave to file down your shoes as well! I once saw someone who took a pair of motorcycle boots and literally cut the shaft down to ankle height. The bravery boggles my mind. Most of my tweaks involve chopping my jeans into capris, though I did once taper a pair of bootleg black pants into skinnies. Felt like a crowning achievement.

    http://www.nomadicd.com/

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    1. I have to say, I really do like the little linen top but I prefer it without the lace as I liked the simplicity of it. Just a shame the front comes that little bit too low for it to be worn as it is. I could throw caution to the wind and just give everyone an eyeful but in my heart of hearts - I know I can't do it. I wonder if toupe tape would work to stop it gaping if I bent over? Now that's an idea!

      I know you can sew - I'd like to see some more of your projects like the clutch bag you made. That was pretty cool.

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    2. "can sew" might be a bit of an overstatement of my abilities. I swear that clutch was the easiest thing ever! I did just do a little laptop case for Hubby that I'm pretty proud of, will have to take photos and get them up soon. As for the top, I hear you about the simplicity of it without the lace, could you just do a little bralette underneath that wouldn't be too shocking if people caught a glimpse? I've already extolled the virtues of the modal ones from Gap, they do the trick for me under all my low-cut Zara tees.

      http://www.nomadicd.com/

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  15. I just don't have the skills, you know? It always turns out worse for me than before I touched it, so I gave up. But this is amazing, esp the top, just genius! I think it looks even nicer!
    BTW, I went into Jack Wills today and fell out of love with everything on my wishlist except for a white collared boy shirt. The sizing is kind of crazy all in all, and that lovely silk shirt that looks like a pajama top is mahoosive! x

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    1. Oh, and my new love is French Connection, not sure why I had missed it before:)

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    2. I have a 20% off discount code for Jack Wills and can I use it? No. There's nothing that's quite floating my boat enough. The sweatshirts are nearly there but not special enough and the jumper I wanted was chunkier than the Aubin & Wills one I have but nowhere as nice. I had such high hopes too.

      And Whistles is my new love this season. I went in today and everything I tried on was wonderful. Drat! I saw some of the French Connection collection a few weeks back as it was filtering in - it's good isn't it? Whereas I think Mango have not quite hit the mark with this A/W. I had high expectations following on from last winter's collection but I guess it's hard to keep the momentum.

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  16. Oh you're brilliant, Sue! Now this is what I call being smart. I've never thought of using a bit of lace detail to cover up the cleavage. I have tops that are too low and they just lie in my closet unworn. I love the H&M sandals. They're probably more comfortable than the totally flat Gigi because even my K.Jacques sandals hurt after hours of walking. Yours have a bit of heel which supports the ankle and arch better.

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    1. It's just that I had two of these lace detail vests and the strap broke on one and I was too lazy to sew it back on the vest but not too lazy to sew it on to my linen top (go figure). The cami vest was one I wore with the linen tunic anyway so I guess I kind of knew how it would look but certainly saves the hassle of of wrestling with an extra garment in hot weather.

      And the sandals - £15 isn't bad for a little pair of leather sandals and these look a little more dressed up than the norm - I'm following in your footsteps albeit much more cheaply.

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  17. I tend to tweak things myself, mostly skirt hems and the fit of old jeans. That lace insert is brilliant, I have a maxi dress that would benefit from the same treatment. It is way too low cut for me, despite me being president of the itty bitty committee.

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    1. I think I've always tweaked things. I started very early in my teens trying to take in a pair of flarey jeans and turning them in to skinnies. Boy that was a job and a half.

      And yes, I'm chair person in the itty bitty committee too but it doesn't mean I like to let it all hang out :o)

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  18. I like both kinds of sandals, if I fall in love with a pair, I buy them regardless of style. I don't tweak a thing but you've done a great job on both these items. I love that top, so simple, just my kinda style, I've always liked Jigsaw although haven't bought anything in there for ages! x

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Susie So So