DIY Mullet Dress

I found this maxi dress in  a local charity shop for £6 and just couldn't resist the print. Unfortunately me and maxi dresses just don't get on. They are usually too long and even if they skim rather than drag on the floor I just end up tripping over them. Even worse, as this dress is strapless, just imagine the implications of stepping on the hem and ending up with the top around my waste, far too embarrising to think about!

Anyway, I have been seeing mullet dresses all over the place lately, I quite like the look and even more the practicality so decided to have a go at a DIY one. In theory all you need to do is re hem the dress in a mullet shape as desired.  In practice, with chiffon this proved a little more difficult than I expected and it go tangled and gathered in the sewing machine. Next time perhaps I forget trying to use the sewing machine and just do it by hand.

I wasn't overly scientific about the whole process, I just drew a line where I wanted the hem to be, then cut it and resewed the hem.

Here is the finished result. I decided to go for a shorter length and fairly subtle mullet as I wanted to wear the dress for a wedding evening do and didn't want it to look too dramatic. I am still pondering whether to use the off cut fabric to make some straps to cover my tan lines and give me a little added security.

I have seen some much more dramatic styles that go from maxi at the back to mini at the front and would love to give one of these a go perhaps for a Christmas party. A charity shop or old evening dress would be an ideal candidate for this project. Another mullet idea would be to cut and hem a maxi dress in an upside down v shape at the front and wear over a mini skirt or sew in a short panel of fabric at the front.

You can check out this post for some great celebrity inspiration. Pretty much anything goes from full skirts to minimalist straight skirts, chiffon layers and jaggety uneven hems. I love this trend for DIYing as you can be as creative as you like. I am also considering wearing this dress over a mesh straight skirt that I have for a slightly more edgy look.  Will share the pics next week if I decide to go for it.

So what do you think? Would you have a go at creating your own mullet?

With warmest wishes

Ceri X