Rhinestone Cowgirl

When I was little, my Aunt Linda lived in a farmhouse just up the road from us.  She had what seemed like at least twenty horses at any given time, and she and my Mom gave Western riding lessons.  So, it's not surprising that I was obsessed with all things equine.  Even before I was old enough to ride on my own, I was a constant fixture on the side of the indoor arena.  When I played with my Barbies, it wasn't uncommon for my Mom to overhear me admonishing them to keep their heels down while "riding" one of my countless Breyer horses.  My bedroom walls were full of horse posters from the Scholastic Book Fair; Black Beauty and The Black Stallion were my favorite books; and even my sleeping bag was covered in my favorite four-legged friends.  

I still remember the tiny baby blue fringed outfit I wore in my first horse show and, to this day, the smell of a tack room is one of my favorite scents.  Of course, I also loved movies and songs about cowboys and cowgirls.  My favorite song was Glen Campbell's Rhinestone Cowboy, and I'd beg my Dad to play it over and over (on 8 track tape, no less) on the behemoth faux wood-grain stereo in our living room.  

Dress (vintage, eBay); Turquoise Torsade (Ross-Simons); Annie Oakley pendant with removable pistol (eBay); Sandals (Lindsay Phillips); Leather and turquoise cuff (Steinmart); Blue Topaz ring (Ross-Simons); Citrine Ring (David Yurman)

This vintage, sequined cowboy print skirt reminds me of that once forgotten classic country ditty.  It was an eBay find that I picked up for a song last summer.  As sometimes happens with online purchases (especially when buying vintage), the fit was not quite what I expected.  It was considerably longer than it looked in the online auction photographs, and came down nearly to my ankles. I didn't care much for the prairie skirt effect.  Hemming it wasn't an option due to the print, and my complete lack of sewing skills meant doing anything more elaborate was out of the question.  My solution?  Pull it up Steve Urkel style, belt it, and call it a sundress!

The skirt is really just one, giant sequined circle, but the belt gives it shape as a dress.

As you can see in the links below, this isn't the first time I've worn a skirt as a dress, and I've even worn a man's shirt as a skirt.  So don't be too quick write off something that's not quite what you expected - maybe there's a creative solution!

FASHION IS WHAT YOU BUY; STYLE IS WHAT YOU DO WITH IT!

A garment isn't always what it seems at first look: