Going out in the evening, which necessitated a little bit of much-needed dressing up, so I chose my favorite and ultimately versatile handmade reversible (front-to-back AND inside-out) Gossip Girl-inspired dress. It’s very simple and elegant, so it works for a variety of occasions. I wore it backwards for this evening, with the zipper in the back.
Many couture items have elaborate beading or detailing on them, thus making them look expensive and “couture.” That look can totally be faked by adding on beaded embellishments in strategic places to very simple outfits, elevating the affordable into something unique and costly-looking. 
I simply took a hand-beaded choker I created awhile ago and affixed it to the collar of this dress with safety pins on the inside. 
When I made it I cut out felt in a bit more of a U shape (but on reflection now I feel I should have cut it in a wider oval so it would fit easily onto shirts as a collar). The collar necklace was fiddly to make at the time, but you can find similar beaded pieces from M&J Trimming [as trims or embellishments] or at H&M or Forever 21 [sold as necklaces]. I love things that have a double function!!
Just adding that to the dress goes a long way to zhuzh up something simple. Hence, “faux couture.”
It may be getting on into Summer, but it still feels like early Spring some days here in Portland (with the cold Spring rains showing up again unannounced here and there). Tights are a must for evenings – and I’m in love with these Pamela Mann studded ones: so pretty and chic, and the perfect addition for any upscale outfit.
Hope all of you had a wonderful Memorial Day and are enjoying a great start to the week!
xo
Carly
Is there a pattern you used for the dress? Great idea!
Hi Rebecca! Actually, I didn’t use a pattern! I just grabbed a loose T-shirt of mine, folded it in half at center front, and traced around it with a 3/8″ seam allowance, adding about 1.5 feet to the bottom so that it was a knee-length dress. I added some width to the hem too (not a whole lot), just enough so that the shape was slightly A-line. I didn’t make separate sleeves, just connected the bottom of the sleeve opening to the main part of the dress in a batwing shape. Then I used the pattern placed on the fold of my fabric for the back of the dress. For the front of the dress, I added 1.5″ down the center front of the pattern piece when I traced it onto my fabric, and cut 2 of that piece, one for the right side and one for the left side of the dress. The additional fabric at the center front was because I had to fold that fabric under about 1/2″ to create the zipper opening. I sewed the zipper to both the inner and the outer pieces of the dress, then sewed the fronts to the backs. The sleeves and collar were finished by tucking the inner and the outer fabrics together and topstitching down to create a finished edge. The bottom hem was just turned to the inside for both inner and outer fabric; it’s not secured together. Hope that helps! I know it probably all sounds a bit confusing, but I think that’s how I did it. If you have any questions, let me know!! 🙂
Thank you! Will have to try this. Such a great idea. Thanks for taking the time to explain it so clearly.
You’re welcome! What resulted was a batwing, A-line dress, where the body and sleeves were the same piece. I think I also stitched in the ditch down the side seams just to further secure the inner fabric to the outer fabric, since I remember them sliding around a bit weirdly. Then I added some embellishments to the hem of the inner dress. The hems are both free, so sometimes the inner lining shows when I move, but I’m okay with that! Hope you get a great result with your version! 🙂