Fashion Fix: Spring/Summer 2014 trend Shirt Dress with extra panels

photo Amanda Thomas

This is already one of my favourite outfits for spring! I love the subtle colour and pattern clash, resulting in a dress that looks far more expensive than it actually was. The dress was left over from a photoshoot, but of course didn't fit as it's a size 8. It was at this point I came up with a simple sewing plan to make this dress fit, whilst at the same time incorporating another fabric and pattern into what could look a bit like a nurse's outfit if I wasn't careful!

shirt dresses as seen at Alexander Wang and Dior, photos Google Images

Shirt dresses are seeing a resurge, they are all over the spring summer catwalks for 2014 and graced the front page of this weekend's Saturday Telegraph's Magazine.

You will need:

• unpicker
• dressmaking pins
• dressmaking scissors
• 1/2 metre of fabric for panels. Choose a contrasting coloured or printed fabric to add a pop of colour to the dress.
• sewing machine
• matching thread.

How to do it:

1. Unpick the side seams and 15 cm of the hem either side of each side seam, press open.
2. measure how wide you want your panel to be. Mark and cut out rectangles with this width plus 3 cm seam allowance and length the same length as open seam plus same seam allowance as dress hem.
3. turn dress inside out and pin in panel right down to the raw hem of the dress. Allow for the seam to taper inwards at the top as it reaches the bottom point of the sleeve.
4. machine a running stitch along the pinned sides.
5. press the seams open.
6. fold up the dress hem
7. sew back in place now with the new panel.

photo Amanda Thomas

Company Style Blogger Awards 2014

The Nominations are open! I am going up for 'Best Personal Style Blog - Newcomer'. Please nominate this blog if you think it's a contender!  Click on the image above to nominate me, thank you!

Company Magazine Style Blogger Awards 2014 | Nominations Are Open!

Personal Style is a serious business in my family...

My amazing, gorgeous parents: A carpet wearing Mum and trail blazing Dad (yes that is me in the background, a face full of chocolate)

I have had FixUpLookChic up and running for just under a year. It's been such a fantastic outlet for what I have realised is a ridiculously varied amount of creative outlets. However, I have realised that all my creative interests have come from a common place: my own personal style. This blog may be a craft blog, but it comes from an obsession with Fashion visuals. My Costume designs have become inseparable from contemporary and historical Fashion Collections over the years, and it has been an honour to share them with you on the blog, as well as showing you how I made a few!

Photo Carly Wong and The Egg, Bath

Of course my time at Cloth Magazine has influence how I write and demonstrate, and there are a few Fashion Fixes up here from my Cloth Mag Archive. It's so cool to be able to share all this with such a wide readership.

It would really round things off perfectly to get a look in at these Company Mag Awards. I am going for the Best Personal Style Blog-Newcomer' Award. If you think this blog shows any signs of such a thing, then nominate me HERE

Photo Amanda Thomas

Instead of further demonstrating my Personal Style (you can look back through oodles of older posts for that) I thought I'd show you some rather more overworked moments, brought on by an overload of creative inspiration, otherwise known as not being able to say no to a job. I thought it appropriate as every creative can relate, It's almost the natural state; numerous projects on the go at once, each one feeding an idea into the other one. So here is me in all my 'glory' working behind the scenes to bring you the fashion fixes, the stylist's secrets, illustrations, events design ideas, theatre and costume work...zzzzzzzzzz

properly frazzled, covered in paint, still smiling

So, if after all this, you think Fix Up Look Chic is worthy of nomination in the Company Magazine Style Blogger Awards 2014, click HERE to nominate me in the 'Best Personal Style Blog - Newcomer Category'

Lots of love and thanks

Harriet

xxx