Sunday, July 24, 2011

Sweet Pink Paisley Dress DIY - 3 ways

Another great fabric find at Joann's - this sheer pink paisley was literally calling my name so I bought all that was left (1.75 yards) and made this smocked top dress.  The smocking is so pregnancy friendly!  I wanted to be able to adjust the straps depending on how I felt so instead of 2 fixed straps, I added 4 open straps.

1.  Tied halter style with Flower Sash (tutorial for sash here)
Shoes:  Banana Republic Gladiator Wedges - BR shoes are crazy comfortable.  If you haven't already heard, there is 40% off your entire purchase tonight so make sure to check out the shoes!  

 
2.  Tied traditionally with bows at each shoulder
Shoes:  Frye Joy Vintage Slide
3.  Worn as skirt (shoulder straps tied as a bow at the waist)
Shoes:  Sofft Buckle Slides

Sorry, I know I could have styled the skirt look better but I was getting hot / tired.  Comes with 3rd trimester territory I think :)  How would you style this when wearing as a skirt?

16 comments:

  1. It took me literally two minutes to figure out what you meant by four open straps. (Geez I'm slow today!) What a great concept though -- anything that versatile gets a two thumbs up in my book!

    I think styling the skirt may be easier post-pregnancy, because with the baby bump it's hard to create a different shape other than empire. But I'm envisioning any type of top, loose, more structured, but the key may be to belt it to give that separates look.

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  2. Love the fabric! This is so versatile, and I really like the way you styled it as a skirt. I agree with cee that a belt usually helps, too :)

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  3. I love both of the styles. I sometimes would wear a lightweight loose cropped sweater over the dress that I style as skirt and then accessorize it with belt. ;)

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  4. That is such a pretty pink!! I love it best when tied traditionally! Great job!

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  5. Such a pretty fabric and very cute dress--when you tied it as a halter, did you cross the straps in the back? Re: styling the skirt, I think the sash or a belt over the straps would create more definition, but I, too, would style with a tank or a tee.

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  6. wow, what a beautiful fabric! I love how the 4 straps can transition between being a halter top and just straps going back. you're so creative! and i can't believe you're still ok wearing heels this far into the pregnancy! it gives me hope that i can still wear my heels when i get pregnant, lol. :)

    cute & little
    Sproos Shop Giveaway for cute hair accessories!

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  7. That's pretty freaking creative of you! :D Very cool and congrats! Btw, my fave is the one tied with bows.

    Follow me on twitter if you have one!(VivaLaBreee)

    xoxo, Bree

    http://vivalabreee.blogspot.com/

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  8. Stop it with #3!!! That is sooooooooo cute :)

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  9. love that pretty pink paisley fabric! you are so creative and it's so cool that you can wear that dress a couple of ways! i really like those BR gladiator shoes too, super hot!

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  10. that is SO cool that you made it with 4 straps so you could raise and lower the dress AND wear it around the skirt the skirt is the coolest part!!! so neat! haha

    hehe yes i met the hubs in SF and we got married there so i will always remember SF fondly.. we'll be in germany for 3 years because that's how long his contract will be for :)

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  11. You look so cute!! I love this dress and your tummy is fitting so perfecly in it!!!
    Lovely!
    xx
    http://dontcallmefashionblogger.blogspot.com

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  12. I can't believe you're still in heels so close to your due date. Have you feet changed their size at all?

    I love the third way you wore the dress - the dress-as-skirt thing is really cool and adds versatility to the piece.

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  13. i love the print and i love how you can wear it in 3 ways! as a skirt, i think i'll style it the same way you did. :)

    <3, Mimi
    http://whatmimiwrites.blogspot.com/

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  14. I never even thought about tying the straps of a halter dress around the waist. SPG you never cease to amaze me with your creativity!

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  15. Cee - Whoops, sorry about the unhelpful description there! You're definitely right about the shape - just about everything is empire or muu muu LOL. Thanks for the post-preg styling tips though - they will definitely come in handy!

    Purses and Puppies - Thank you! I really just fell in love with this fabric - so girly and romantic :)

    Fashion and Number - Thanks for the advice! I'll have to give that a try :)

    Michelle - Thanks so much! I love the color too - it makes me feel uber feminine :)

    Questforfashionsense - Thank you! When I tied it as a halter, I basically took both right straps (front and back) and both left straps to tie together behind my neck. I hope that makes sense!

    Kileen - Thank you! You can most definitely still wear wedge heels and if your work environment is pretty low-activity (read no real standing / walking requirements) than you're pretty much good to go. The great thing about heeled sandals is that even if your feet swell, sandals are usually pretty forgiving about it as opposed to normal closed-off shoes.

    Bree - Thanks so much! I'm behind the times on the whole Twitter thing but maybe someday I'll get my act together and join in LOL. :)

    Gigi - Aw, thanks so much! :)

    Ping - Thank you doll! The gladiator shoes are pretty comfortable and add an awesome 5 inches of height! I feel so tall in them :)

    Lisa - Thank you! Ooh 3 years - you'll get plenty of time to wine and dine your way through Europe - I so look forward to reading about your adventures!

    Francesca - Thanks so much! Tummy fit is definitely important at this stage! :)

    Anna - Thank you! My feet haven't really changed sizes - some days they swell and some days they don't. They just seem to do whatever they feel like LOL but the great thing about most sandals is that they're pretty forgiving either way.

    Mimi - Thanks so much! :)

    Elaine - Aww, you are too sweet! I love anything that you can wear multiple ways and I hope to further explore that in future projects :)

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  16. this is really pretty...just stumbled upon your blog through someone else's and I like your DIY projects :)

    http://rosebarbie23.blogspot.com/

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