Day and Nightie

No false modesty: I have a lot of winners in my closet. But I also have a few... I don't want to call them losers, because that's mean, and also they are inanimate objects. But they're not quite contenders. Maybe with some alterations, we could see, but they're... junior varsity.

Take Day and Nightie, for instance. I picked this one up back when World of Style Vintage had a storefront on Newark Avenue, along with another piece I'll get to later. In theory, it's right up my alley.

I mean, look at that print, right? Colorful, hand-drawn, varied—a nice mix of organic and somewhat geometric shapes. But when it comes to the cut...

Something's wrong. Not very wrong—I did buy it, after all—but a little off. To be precise, it's a bit gape-y in the bosoms.

"But there's a belt!" I can hear you saying. "Try it without the belt!" Okay.

Well, that doesn't solve anything, does it? Now it looks like a nightie. What if I put the belt back on and poofed it out a little, like I meant for Day and Nightie to be gape-y in the bosoms all along?

This pose is my hands insisting that yes, I do have a waist, despite all evidence to the contrary. Además, I find the neckline a little fussy, even for me.

The last time I wore Day and Nightie, I was teaching an LSAT class, and I kept thinking, "Do my students think this looks like a nightgown?" Trust me, that is not what you want to be thinking about while you're trying to explain logic games. Clothes should bolster your confidence, not sap it!

And yet... I can't help feeling that Day and Nightie has potential. What if I got the top taken in? What if I ripped out that preposterous collar? What if I chopped off the sleeves and used the material to make a cowl neck? What if I had the skills to actually do all that stuff?

So I put it out to you, dear readers: what the heck do I do with this benched jv player?