I bought this skirt a year ago on big time sale at DownEast Basics. It looked nearly identical to one I’d seen at Anthropologie a few years before and coveted but did not purchase because it was approximately a million dollars. I did try it on before buying it, but somehow I am occasionally tricked by those dressing room lights and a very low price tag. This was one of those occasions. I brought it home and after trying it on again, realized that I hated the gathers in the front (who decided those were a good idea??) — it gave me a serious front pooch, which was the very last thing I wanted, especially right after having a baby. I wore it once, fidgeting and feeling self conscious the entire time, before throwing it in my “Repair” box.

Here I am a year later and finally getting around to it. It took me a whole forty-five minutes to unpick the front seams, pull out the gathers, iron them flat, then resew a few seams to put it back together (and taking in the extra fabric left over from the gathers). Why, oh, why did I not do these simple repairs earlier? I am now IN LOVE with this skirt.

Don’t be surprised if you see me wearing it in every picture of my vacation next week. You’ve been warned.