Friday Guest Blog Interview: New Dress a Day!

Fashion-meets-design-on-a-dime with today’s Guest Blog Interview. New Dress a Day shares Marisa’s creative journal of 365 items of clothing on a $365 budget in 365 days. Checking in with Marisa’s latest makeovers & creations has become a daily habit as she shares her designs, process and incredibly inspirational end results.

When Marisa lost her job last year she turned to a creative endeavor that would keep her occupied and pull her through a tough time.

In Marisa’s own words: “I’m spending the entire year without doing an ounce of traditional clothing shopping… The thing that makes this girl happiest is scouring flea markets, vintage stores and garage sales… I love finding vintage goodies that may not fit me perfectly or translate well with the current state of fashion and then make them work on me. I get out my trusty sewing machine to change hems, cut sleeves and tweak to transform a lowbudge piece that had its’ moment back in 1976 and give it another shot today, decades later.

Each day for the entire year, I’m going to introduce a new piece into my existing wardrobe that I’ve found from these places. On top of this, I’m giving myself a budget of $1 a day. 365 days. 365 items of clothing. 365 dollars.”

Neat, right? Generally, Marisa starts out with a vintage piece that is quite out there – a muumuu, an oversized pair of overalls, a frilly 80’s smock – but the end result is hip, stylish and fun. I love to incorporate unique pieces into my closet collection as well, and this has been all of the inspiration I need for a good Goodwill hunt.

Today Marisa shares a bit about her personal inspiration, favorite trends as well as a few fun suggestions for trying her project out yourself. I’ve added a healthy dose of my favorite ‘before & afters’ for even more eye candy.

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{PDB Interview with Marisa of New Dress a Day}

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What inspires your design style?

I’m such a visual girl!! I’m inspired by classic movies (Turner Classics is always on!), traveling and seeing different landscapes. I love going to garage sales and flea markets as it’s eye candy for me with all the eclectic and vintage goodies to check out. I love paging through magazines (Lucky is my go-to!) and pulling out sheets from them. I have a book that I put all my favorite celeb looks that I’ve cut out in as well as favorite designer runway pieces. There’s a lot of Kate Hudson and Chloe in it :).

What do you love most about what you do?

I love that I get to be creative each and every day. When times were tricky for me last year when I lost my job, I knew that I needed to carve time out each day for myself with something that inspired me. I feel so incredibly lucky to have created a daily routine that is the one thing that’s the constant in my life. Amidst all the hectic-ness, this is where I can zone out, and enjoy every moment.

What are three design suggestions that you would like to offer our readers?

{1.} First and foremost, go with what strikes your fancy! The one thing for me is that I’m making new outfits each day that I love and that I’m drawn to. There will always be things that people won’t like, but that’s part of fashion! I’m head over heels about them which is ultimately the most important thing – going with what I like. As long as you’re enjoying and loving what you’re creating be it a living room or an inspiration board, that is the most important thing!!

{2.} You don’t have to be a professional! With clothes and refashioning, just because you’re not a sewer doesn’t mean you can’t create the same kinds of pieces I’m doing. Use duct tape instead of hand stitching. Tighten up pieces with safety pins. Use what you have and what you’re comfortable with and you’ll be creating in no time!

{3.} Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you mess up the first few tries, it’s alright!! Work with cheaper pieces so that you don’t have to worry or stress about making a wrong cut or sewing the wrong seam shut. The more you do, the better you’ll become!

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If you loved this interview, check out more great spotlights {and tips & tricks!} from fantastic bloggers!