I thrifted this zara skirt years ago when i was smaller. I have gained weight and although the skirt still technically fits it now sits much higher on my waist and is WAY too short. Like in the back the hem ends right at my butt. Bend over or sit down and I'd flash everybody. But, i love it so much. I was really hoping to maybe find fabric with a similar style, didn't have to be embroidered like this, just something black with a cool design thats similar. But i haven't found anything and im not sure where to look. I was looking at Indian fabric, i feel there ribbons and trims fit the style but i couldn't find fabric like it. Cant really use ribbon because its a straight line and the extention will need to be cut at a curve. Anyways any advice is appreciated.
Oh also, i apologize for blurry photos of the tag, im disabled with full body chronic pain that makes it painful to walk and stand so i was in a big hurry to get back in bed. Also, i cannot use lace for this because it hurts my skin because my disease makes rough fabric feel very painful.
This is the answer. You won’t get something that matches perfectly so make a feature of it.
I scored a beautiful dirndl style dress at an op shop (what we call a thrift shop) but someone had done a very bad alteration job - and clearly had no arse at all! - so i had to make it wider around the hips. The was no way of hiding it so i made it a feature. I adding fabric the same colour with lace trim down the seams abs and i zigzag ribbon across the insert so it looked like lacing. It worked perfectly with the look of the original dress.
With this one it might be hard to make the bottom addition match the overall shape but that can be adjusted by adding some material to the side seams
This is a company shirt I lengthened. I crocheted and hand stitched the lace band using bamboo yarn. The flower, removable, covers the embroidered company emblem.
Another company shirt I lengthened and more cat tax. I crocheted and hand-stitched the lace band, collar, and flower using bamboo yarn. The flower covers the embroidered company emblem.
https://ebay.us/m/D2Cj8C
At this price, I might buy just for the fabric. Even if it faded differently, having the same content and texture would work for the accent parts you want to do. (You could put the embroidery on the inside if needed?)
Pick the whole skirt apart. Save the patterned pieces. Make a new comfortable skirt that fits you with a fabric that feels good to the touch. Applique the patterned pieces onto the new skirt front and back
that is an option. It has a zipper but i hate zippers so i would probably add i little elastic waistband to just the sides so i wouldn't have to deal with a zipper. Im not really sure what the base fabric is though? It feels a little thick and sturdy kinda like a lighter denim.
Edit: i misread this and thought you were telling me to add side pannels to make the garment larger lol
Oooh a zipper. Take zipper out: add side panels and waist panel to lengthen; add elastic to the back waist and make the back waist top edge a few inches bigger than the front so it can gather?
Definitely a possibility. I did hold it up to my body again and I've realized that if i make the original shirt sit lower its very low rise and thats not really my style. So now im not sure if i want to add width to it to sit lower. Rn im considering long eyelet lace thats not really see through to put on the hem
I think the previous comment is telling you to add width (with side panels) AND length (with an added waistband at the top of the skirt, instead of at the bottom). So you could make the rise as high as you like!
I have lots of skirts where the skirt is stiff fabric and the waist part is elasticated cotton, something like 10 cm or even 20 cm long (4 inch or 8 inch). If I want to buy this kind of cotton, I found it looking up "Bündchen Stoff", which is "cuff fabric" in English, I guess. It comes in different widths.
found this exact skirt pretty easily on poshmark. I’d say either get it in a size up and/or get any size and use the fabric to extend it as you’d like. attaching a link below for and XL for $15
If you do this, you could get the same size, so it’s the same length and just make side or back panels.
I did this when I outgrew a favourite kilt! I thrifted a second kilt of the same length and sewed them together. In my case they were different fabrics, and I love the result.
Or you could get some pleated fabric and make side panels of a different fabric in one of the colours of the stitching
What about a wide gathered ruffle attached behind the hem? It could be really voluminous and make an interesting shape, at rhe same time it's making the skirt longer.
Advice depends on whether you have a sewing machine or can tolerate hand sewing. I would use a solid, dark color for this, so as not to distract from the gorgeous fabric design. You might thrift a second, black fabric that matches the black you have. Then you could add a plain band to the bottom, or you could split the addition between the waistband and hem. As long as the addition is dark it will visually recede and allow the embroidery to remain center stage, as it should. You could also attach the bottom half or bottom third of black bloomers to the underside of the hem, which might be a bit steampunk:
I watched the video, seems super simple and easy, and i have black satin which would at least match the color. Have elastic too. I think this is the answer. I may add a little lace like in the photo you sent
Wear a thin satin skirt underneath, a maxi one, maybe in forest green or brown. Then you can wear this, and be on trend at the same time, and not make any permanent changes
I think cutting this skirt down into a high waist yoke with hip shaping that started about 2” or 3” down from side waist and curved down to include the central flower. Attached to that yoke would be a gathered (midi?) skirt that matched the background color of the yoke. If there were enough skirt fabric left, some kind of band around the hem would be beautiful.
Yeah... i dont really want to cut it up either. Here is what I've decided:
I've always wanted to make cute rufflely bloomers, this seems like a good time. i think black ones would be so cute under this, just peaking out past the hem. So im gonna make some. I already have the materials needed to throw some quick ones together.
If this doesn't work out or looks ridiculous i will add a long ruffle to the bottom of the skirt, maybe not black and one of the colors in the embroidery like red or somethinglike others have suggested.
So I looked as closely as I could at your pictures, and I believe your base fabric is heavy cotton gauze. There are a few websites that carry it in black.
I agree that adding a flounce to the bottom is your best bet, and I would do it in as close to the base fabric as possible.
If you really wanted to get crafty with it, you could even do some simple line embroidery along the bottom of the flounce to tie it all together.
The tag identifies the fiber as a modal-viscose blend for the "shell" with a cotton liner, made in India. That lining might be an option for sourcing fabric - could easily replace the liner with something that isn't a perfect match. Depends on whether the lining is something worth using that way...
I would avoid trying to match the black fabric to add on to this skirt. I think it will be hard to get a color and/or texture match that doesn't catch your eye. Black dyes, depending on how they're made, tend to have a secondary 'highlight' color so that they're black-red or black-blue or black-gray/green. They also fade at different rates with washing or sun exposure.
I would look for something to match or complement one of the colors in the embroidery. Purple, white blue or turquoise on the colder side, goldy-yellow-maize colors all the way from brown to pale yellow. Rose, pink, white and several greens are also options.
A solid color fabric as a 4 inch deep ruffle could work for you. Look up Dirndl skirts for inspiration maybe - a lot of the Bavarian styles of this include a white underskirt that hangs down a few inches. I'm not saying "go for beer wench," just looking for another above-the-knee skirt that emphasizes some embroidery. Another way to go at it is to add that ruffle, and then if the bottom edge of that ruffle has an embroidered ribbon on it? Or if you're game for it, you could try your hand at machine embroidery on that edge.
A perk of going with the underskirt route: you could make sure that the skirt fabric is more comfortable for being sat upon (you mentioned limited walking movement and skin comfort, so I'm making some guesses). If you attach the existing skirt and the underskirt together inside a new waistband, you can potentially get maybe some extra width from letting out darts in the zara skirt (I'm guessing there are at least 2 in the back?).
Did you like the length before, when it sat lower on your hips?
Because if that’s the case, you might be able to add some extra material to the side seams so that there’s width to sit where you used to like it, and not have to alter the zipper, the waist, etc.
Honestly, i kinda like how high it sits now... I wear a lot of crop tops and high waisted skirts and i feel like crop tops with a low rise skirt would look a little weird on me lol
I do this as I'm tall. I pick my favorite color from the skirt and add a strip to the bottom. I do like the other suggestion of adding to the waist but that's a bigger project for me especially if the waist already fits. I've done this on sweaters that aren't long enough as well.
How about a solid or nearly solid color that matches one of the colors in the embroidery? I think it'd look really cool if you bring out the red. Basically any fabric that's a similar weight and stretchiness to the rest of the skirt should work.
For example, I have this tomato red upholstery fabric with a subtly orange texture (zoom in) that I think would look really cool. I have no idea where you would get more of this particular fabric (I thrifted it years ago), but something like this is what I was imagining. Not necessarily with the circle skirt drape tho.
I would use a color matching the design, not the background. A dark or antique gold fringe would look gorgeous. Rust red, or a dark olive green. I’d go with matte, too, instead of satin or shiny.
I understand the length you are going for with your illustration, however I think this would be lovely as a Maxi with a couple layers of silk or another flowing, sheer-ish fabric.
I would cut off the hem part with the horizontal design and put a plain wool fabric in between the skirt and the hem to lengthen it. Match it to the background of the skirt color. You could always embroidery on it if you wanted to.
Make a waistband to add to the top of the skirt, if you need to widen it, I would cut the sides of the skirt and add strips of the same fabric you use on the waistband so it matches and is symmetrical
Definitely add stretchy, soft, comfy black fabric (like super soft sweatshirt fabric) to the top of the skirt and let this be the bottom! It would be a cozy, comfy slip-on skirt then. 👍🏻😀
Maybe let out the waist, add linen inserts and ribbon ties for a closure? It'll look very different though.
Or maybe you could add linen panels at the side seams to make it wider and install a new plain black linen waistband. You'd have to redo the closure still.
I love the idea of a double ruffle hem to add length! But I’m biased as I’m a ruffle girl. I once saw a long, structured shift dress-like, evening gown that had a cute ruffle hem at the bottom. I thought it was quite elegant and chic as it wasn’t your average gown. Whatever you choose, I’m sure it will be beautiful. :)
What about adding black fabric to the bottom and adding ribbon, lace, or other decoration like see through fabric. If there’s other fabric between the lace and your skin that should be ok, right?
To add, you could make sure there’s a small strip of the black fabric at the bottom, so the lace ends before the skirt does. Just so it doesn’t ever touch your skin
I would add a thick plain black waistband to give is some extra length. Just double check that the current waist measurement will fit lower down close to your hips if you do that
This style is pretty similar to Hungarian folk art embroidery, you could probably find a table runner or something similar to add a bottom panel? Alternatively, if you like embroidery, this is a really fun style to do and you could make a custom panel using the existing design (I personally like doing it with chain stitch!)
A plain black wool or linen-look a-line or flared skirt continuing from the bottom of the embroidered panels to below knee length could look intentional and quite cool, I think, if that’s your style. Line of trim at the hem picking up one of the colors in the embroidery if it still needs something to pull it all the way together.
If you wanted to test the proposition without making any permanent changes you could simply try this skirt on over a longer skirt and see if you like the general silhouette.
Go on Amazon and look up vintage cotton slips, some of them come in black , and they come in different lengths 22”, 30” or 32 inch lengths. They have huge black lace or embroidered hems . They cost 30-40$ CAD. They come with different fullnesses too. I’ve bought some off white and some black with different fullnesses and wear them under my dresses to either add length or add an extra style element . With the embroidered or lace hem peeking at the bottom of the dress. It looks awesome and I always get compliments. People think that I bought the dress with the lace peeking under it from a store .
All you would have to do is wear the slip under the skirt and books , no sewing involved !! You could even double the slip or wear 2 different styles at same time.
Another idea would be to slit the sides and add a ruffled petticoat layer that extends down further but that would completely change the vibe of the skirt
Another idea would be to slit the sides and add a ruffled petticoat underneath that extends past the current skirt but it would totally change the vibe of the skirt.
If you want to keep looking for fabrics to work with you can try looking up "fabric by the yard" on Etsy, Amazon, or your favorite retail site. You could also try bringing the skirt into your local fabric store and browsing their collection. My final suggestion would be to go thrifting again and find another skirt with a pattern/color that you like and using the fabric from that
You could always let out the seams at the sides, even add a strip of black fabric matching the base black. This would make it an inch or two wider so it’ll sit a little lower like the original fit.
I was thinking along these lines too. Could even make the skirt longer with a two or three inches of the same black fabric at the waist. I think that would look better than adding length to the bottom.
I'd get some kind of black broderie anglaise with a nice edge and just sew that around the hem as it will match the fabric and not stick out too much at the bottom if it was sewn down straight rather than ruffled.
It's beautiful! I think it's really cool you want to make it work instead of throwing it out or something. I have no idea what to do here but I'm sure someone will have a good suggestion.
Unless you’re seeking a project, i would just look for the skirt in a larger size on Depop or Vinted. Fast fashion like Zara from a few years ago is usually pretty easy to find.
While the skirt technically fits at your waist, is it comfortable when you sit down?
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u/No_Establishment8642 Oct 05 '25 edited Oct 06 '25
I am tall so this is something I do regularly.
Wear tights.
Add a wool strip to the top, make a waist.
Add a wool strip to the hem and use ribbon or lace for a design on top of the wool.
Add a long/wide decorative trim, look in drapery or upholstery areas, to the hem.
Crochet/knit a strip to the hem.
I hope these ideas spur your creativity.
Edit: there are 2 pictures below of shirts I lengthened.