Tried using vintage 1980s shoulder pads in a modern dress design

I found a box of my grandma's old sewing stuff from her time in Chicago, including these huge foam shoulder pads. I put them in a simple slip dress pattern I was working on, thinking it would be a cool retro look. The result was way more dramatic than I expected, it totally changed the dress's shape and made it feel really powerful, not just dated. Anyone have tips for mixing old-school structure pieces into softer, modern cuts without it looking like a costume?

4 comments

4 Comments

drew_hart42mo ago

My cousin's wedding last year, I used a single 90s pad from a thrift store jacket in a silk cami. It gave this cool, lopsided power vibe on one side only. The trick is cutting them down, like literally taking scissors to the foam. I shaved mine to about half the original thickness so it lifts the shoulder without building a shelf. You gotta mess with the shape until it works with your body, not against it.

brianm662mo ago

Grandma's shoulder pads are no joke. I once tried something similar and looked like a linebacker at a tea party. Maybe try just one pad per shoulder to ease into the structure?

jana8812mo ago

My friend Sarah borrowed her aunt's vintage blazer for a job interview. She walked in looking so wide she almost got stuck in the revolving door at the office building. The security guard actually asked if she played college ball. She ended up taking the pads out right there in the lobby and stuffing them in her purse.

angelarivera1mo ago

Wait, did she seriously just rip them out in the lobby? That's bold but honestly smart survival mode right there. I guess sometimes you gotta just commit to the situation and fix it on the spot. But for real, maybe next time tell her to try cutting the pads down a bit before the interview so she doesn't have to do a wardrobe emergency in public.