Today we’re happy to welcome Claire from the Advisors Circle. She is here today to show the many different ways she has found to style her new Camp Dress.
When I saw Liesl’s Camp Shirt + Dress pattern, I knew immediately that the style was up my street. I love a shirtdress, I love a camp collar and the loose breezy style is a practical one for my lifestyle. I wanted to make this one a bit “special,” so I used this amazing Ruby Star Society rayon which has beautiful colors and a fun design, while feeling soft and silky against the skin.
Wearing the dress just plain and simple with a pair of heels is easy and looks great. I wore it like this to my husband’s work party this year and it was perfect! However, a shirtdress is an item of clothing that I do actually like to wear in several ways. I really think it’s such a versatile piece in your closet because of the combo of the skirt and collar. Here are a few ideas to show you what I mean.
You can change the look of it by simply buttoning up to the top and throwing a casual contrast jacket over the top. Experimenting with the buttons can give quite a varied feel to the garment.
Another easy adaption is to make thin tie from the same fabric or even a contrast fabric if you want a pop of color. You can wear it as a waist tie, check out Elisabeth’s recent post for more details on adding this to your dress.
Or how about styling it as a ’70s disco necktie? I employed this exact addition recently on a silver jumpsuit I made and I love it. So easy, but so effective.
Another reason I find a shirtdress extremely versatile is because it’s so easy to layer. I wore this outfit recently to a sewing meetup with my buddies here in Seattle.
I just buttoned all the way to the top and threw a cropped sweater over the top with boots. I love this look! You could totally use a cropped cardigan in the same way. With a cute pair of shoes, it would look very ’50s retro if that’s your thing!
Turtlenecks, polo necks, whatever you call them, the extended-necked sweater is everywhere right now, and I think it looks great underneath the Camp Dress. This is one of the reasons I sewed the short-sleeved version, as I had this exact outfit in mind. So cozy!
Another very common way I wear a shirtdress is just to throw a chunky jumper over the top and put on some casual trainers. This will not to be to everyone’s taste, but I love a bit of pattern clashing and this combo makes me super happy! My four year old brought out some Christmas tunes and we jumped around a bit! You could also use a solid chunky jumper and cinch it with a wide belt. That would look very cool.
I’m sure you can think of a myriad other ways to incorporate a shirtdress like this into your wardrobe, but these are some of my favorite ways to wear one. I hope you enjoyed a wee look at my styling habits!