Sunday, June 6, 2010

Petite Lookbook: DIY Inspired Nautical Dress

A few weeks ago, I fell in love with a See by Chloe dress worn by Tiffany at I-am-stylish. It was a short-sleeved shift dress with nautical stripes and feminine ruffles...simple, but perfect. The price however was a bit outside my budget. Inspired, I dusted off my sewing machine and set out to create a DIY version.
Dress: DIY from H&M sz 2 tee
Ankle-Strap Wedges: BCBG 5.5 (similar here - neutral colors elongate legs!)
Bangles: H&M sz XS/S w/2.5" diameter (similar here and here - info claims 2.5")

Above Left: The inspiration - See by Chloe nautical dress, $267 (photo credit my-wardrobe.com)

Above Right: "Before" shot of my raw material. Bought two of these oversized 100% cotton tees at H&M for a grand total of $8. I tried on numerous striped tees before finding these perfectly airy and lightweight ones.

Continue reading for more photos.

 This dress is so easy to wear under cardigans or blazers. Khaki jacket: Theory sz 00

Also goes well with my nude pumps from Target, sz 5.5 (sold here - now on sale!)

The back (I love the slouchy fit for hot summer days), and ruffle detailing:
All I did was use the second tee to make a ruffled bib, as well as add a few inches of length to the original tee shirt. Since I haven't sewn for years, I had several trial-and-errors on what should have been a simple project. Overall, though, I was quite pleased with the results...so the time spent was worth it!

If anyone is interested in making this, let me know and I can try to post more "in-process" photos.

***Addendum - posted step by step pics here***

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