Here Are 17 Thrift Store Finds That This Woman Modified To Create Stunning New Outfits

The coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdowns have left a lot of people with extra time on their hands. The way we use that time differs widely. For example, some of us have been cleaning out our closets since we finally have the time to do a Marie Kondoesque purge of our house. Meanwhile, other people have enjoyed browsing thrift stores for clothes some people decided were too outdated to ever be worn again.

At 33-years-old, Caitlin Trantham is a mom of three and a military spouse. She also loves vintage fashion and sewing. The pandemic, and spending more time than ever at home, gave her time to combine her two loves into an incredible hobby. She has been completely transforming thrift store dresses and skirts into stunning and stylish items she can wear proudly.

Trantham has a rule when she’s shopping at a thrift store. She doesn’t spend more than $10 on any item. After all, she wants to make sure that she is saving money especially considering how much time she puts into each of her transformations.

Trantham has been posting before and after pictures of her thrift store purchase makeovers on Instagram, and the “after” dresses are so cute and stylish. She even adds pockets to some of them! Scroll down to see 17 of our favorite transformations.

  1. New With Tags

  2. Peacock Applique

    View this post on Instagram

    DONT @ ME ABOUT THE BROWN PEACOCK APPLIQUÉ 🤣🤣🤣 Jk, I was just so surprised when the people of TikTok got big mad that I took off 🥴 Let’s talk about the real challenges of this dress- 5 layers of tulle and underskirt! This was my second attempt at anything tulle. The first one failed miserably 😂 Also, this dress had a side zipper that I had to take out to size down the bodice. I put it in the back and it does not look… polished. 🤣 Anyway- this was just a fun experiment for me! I love testing my abilities, even when it doesn’t turn out 100%. But, sad news- this was the last dress I got at Goodwill before the shut down. I have other stuff to work on, but it was bittersweet to see this one finished! ❤️

    A post shared by ⚡️c a i t ⚡️ (@caitconquers) on

  3. A Skirt Becomes a Dress

  4. Dip Dyeing

  5. From Dress to Romper

  6. Lularoe Ana Upgrade

  7. Goodbye Shoulder Pads

  8. A Tropical Sundress

  9. ’80s Bridesmaid Dress

    View this post on Instagram

    Happy Valentine’s Day! Here’s my 80s bridesmaid dress turned perfect pink 50s party dress 🥰❤️💕 I hope some of you were able to watch my stories and see this come to life! This dress is made from acetate, and it’s basically like sewing with a plastic table cloth from the dollar store. 🤣 There was a lot of drama. Things that should have been easy became insanely hard, because the fabric rips easily, can not be ironed, has no stretch and is slippery! I started by dismantling the entire dress with a seam ripper. The collar on top was sewn into the top seam of the bodice, so it all had to come a part. I made the straps from pieces I cut off the skirt. I re-used the collar and the bow (thanks for voting on that one guys!) on the waist, and that’s all hand sewn. I TOOK OUT AND PUT IN A ZIPPER. Ahahaha that’s big time for me! It turned out exactly how I pictured it when I tried it on at goodwill. 😭🙌🏻 Now someone invite me somewhere fancy! 🤣 Again, thanks for all the encouragement and participation on my stories, it helped me not give up on her!

    A post shared by ⚡️c a i t ⚡️ (@caitconquers) on

  10. From a Shirt to a Dress

  11. Stitched to Fit

  12. Sunflower Buttons

  13. Lularoe Ana Date Night Upgrade

  14. From a Dress to a Matching Top and Skort

  15. A Now Sleeveless Lularoe Amelia

  16. A Date Night Makeover

  17. A Great Place to Start

    Which one of these transformations is your favorite? Do you feel inspired to go thrifting or transform an old dress from your own closet?