I imagine it’s hard to remember a time when summery off-the-shoulder tops weren’t in every direction you looked, and it certainly seems to be a trend that plans on sticking around. I love the style, as it can come in a classy look or a more casual vibe, depending on the material, colour and often quality.
There is, however, a drawback I have noticed that seems to go unspoken (as most of us often stick to the ‘fashion is pain’ rule) – off-the-shoulder tops with an elasticated neck-line can often feel like a vice squeezing you in! Particularly if the elastic band is quite wide, which is why I decided to post a quick fix. Admittedly it’s no stroke of genius by any means, but instead of suffering in silence (or being too darn lazy and end up never wearing the item), hopefully this encourages a bit of DIY.
Please note – I definitely wouldn’t recommend immediately getting the scissors out on a more expensive piece of clothing!
I have never owned such a vibrant shade of yellow before, so loved the idea of swanning around in this top from Select in summer. I knew when I tried It on that the elastic was pretty tight, but had in mind to whip the sewing kit out when I had the chance.
I firstly snipped a small slit in the fabric covering the elastic at the back on the inside, and then cut the elastic itself (1). I then slowly loosened the neckline, and placed the garment across my front, pinning it with my finger to where it should sit on either arm (2). Then, carefully keeping the elastic from loosening any further, I popped a safety pin through the fabric and elastic at the two points on the back (3). I would highly recommend trying the top on at this point to check that you have pinned it in the right places!
I then sewed the elastic in place each side with a bit of back-stitch, and also made sure to sew up the hole where I originally cut into the fabric at the back (4).
And it now fits comfortably! I’m sure it’s not the professionally correct way of going about it, but as it was a very affordable top, I was up for spending a little bit of time making it wearable. Now, where’s that Gucci top I need to alter…
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