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Always a bridesmaid -- and you have the bank account and clothes closet to show for it. Yes, they may be very pretty dresses, but something keeps you from wearing them again. To that end, here are five easy no-sew -- and low-sew -- alterations for after the altar. "You definitely do not want to try these before the wedding," Katie points out, laughing, "unless you want some trouble with the bride." The silk-taffeta ensemble you wore only once need not sit in your closet till death do you part. Here's how to turn weddingwear into ready-to-wear.

Painted Maxi-Skirt (above)
What You'll Need
Slightly stuffy sleeveless top and full-length skirt minus the top
Fabric paint (Jacquard textile color), $8 for 8 ounces, dharmatrading.com
Assorted sponge paintbrushes (sold at craft stores)

Skirt How-To
1. Put the skirt on a clothes hanger (clipping a length of kraft paper between its layers) and hang it from a door.

2. Using a yardstick, lightly pencil a straight line down the center front of the skirt to serve as a guide.

3. Now prepare the paint, adding enough water to the pigment to achieve the consistency of milk, and then use the sponge brushes -- one for each color -- to make vertical stripes. Start with the center band and work out from there, revisiting the yardstick if necessary. (It's okay if the edges bleed into each other a little.) If you have a dark skirt, try fabric spray paint in silver or white with stencils or, better yet, Katie says, "just graffiti it."

Tank, $6, hm.com for stores; Maloles flats, $272, Bergdorf Goodman (www.bergdorfgoodman.com)

First Published: July/August 2007