A while ago I bought a black velvet skirt from Soho's Vintage with the view of customising it into a Lolita skirt. The velvet was far too gorgeous to pass on - and not to mention expensive to buy in a fabric store! The label says St Michael's on it (which is the old name for Marks and Spencer's), so I presume it was from the 70s or 80s judging by the stock of the store.
Beforehand, it was ankle length on me. Not flattering at all, given my height. So I cut into the lining in the side seams, and pinned it to just below knee-length. Hemming a lining is hard, so I simply prevented it from fraying with a zig-zag stitch.
Cutting the velvet was nerve-wracking, but in the end it was worth it; I did have to mark it with chalk a LOT though, being a circle skirt with pleats. I used hemming tape and it turned out rather nicely. However, I did have to use steam from the iron to make sure it was straight (so place a dishcloth over the fabric to prevent it getting too wet or hot).
Then it was time for lace! I bought these laces from two separate shops, and surprisingly they matched quite well. I think they're both cluny lace? The white lace on a black skirt really gives it the old school Lolita look!
Before...
And after! It is now knee-length and lacy! The skirt also has a high waist (upon which I had to sew new buttons, one from my Grandma's stash that she recently gave to me - yay) that gives it a more elegant, sophisticated feel. Although there's not much puff in the skirt, I think it's still fitting as in the early Lolita days, skirts did have less volume.
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