You know when you buy a new dress and you love it, but you don't *love* it? You know something's just not quite right, and even though you loved it when you took it to the cash till, you just haven't worn it. Well, that's what happened to Carrie, 46. The Instagram star - who goes by the name @the.thistle.edit on the social media site - bought a Marks & Spencer dress in the sale, and although she was happy with her bargain of a frock, she just wasn't feeling it. So she gave it a little colour transformation.
Explaining what happened, Carrie told HELLO!: "I didn't think twice when I saw the M&S dress at that price (£5.39) - I love the tea dress shape and I couldn't wait for it to arrive. But when it arrived, it was a sort of pale beige colour and I really wasn't sure if I liked it enough to keep it so I asked my followers what they thought."
She then had a revelation - that it would look so much better pink. "So, I bought a Dylon Peony Pink machine dye and I gave it a go."
SHOP: Peony Pink Dylon Dye, £6.48, Amazon
Talking about the process of the transformation, she said it couldn't be easier! "It was so easy to dye. I chucked it into the machine with the dye, put it on a normal cotton cycle and then it came out perfectly pink."
RELATED: Marks & Spencer's olive green dress is mighty like Meghan Markle's christening outfit
The savvy Londoner continued: "I was so worried that the dye would remail in the machine but as long as you wipe the seal and do an empty wash, it's fine."
Posting a photo of her 'new' frock to her followers was exciting. "I am thrilled with the result. I love it! And I've had so many people comment on it on the street today."
MORE: What to expect from Meghan Markle's Marks & Spencer collection - a sneak peek!
Carrie was inspired to transform her dress after Olivia from the Instagram account @clothesmyboyfriendhates gave her Zara polka dot dress an overhaul after approximately 23,506,00 women bought the same dress. On her blog, she wrote: "I'm not the only one who's noticed that everyone's wearing it, either - it's even got its own Instagram page and has been all over the press, with the Daily Mail and The Telegraph questioning just why does everyone have this dress?"
NEWS: PrettyLittleThing is selling a tie-dye jumpsuit inspired by THAT viral photo
She continued: "So for me, enough is enough. And as I've had a fair amount of wear out of it, I've decided the time has come to… duh duh duh... reinvent it. Goodby my monochrome friend. You've served me well."
She then went on to dye her dress pink and even sewed on a heart shaped button to really give it an individual twist.
There's no denying that the £39.99 Zara dress was the talk of the town over summer - it has been everywhere and it's still being sold on the website now. By mixing a trend with a comfortable fit, you can see why it was so popular. We wonder if we'll see a lot of Pony pink polka dot dresses over the next week…
Are you inspired to give one of your frocks a colour transformation? We definitely are! Answer in our poll below.
This article contains affiliate links, which means HELLO! may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. More information.