Actually, it’s more of a not-quite-summer beach dress…
I initially intended for this to be a cute everyday day dress perfect for a causal day out with friends but then, I wore it.
And when I wore it, I wasn’t entirely sure that it would be fit for purpose.
The dress is ridiculously revealing.
I looked in the mirror and I was shocked at my handiwork. But what exactly should I have expected from sewing together two triangles and a rectangle – because that’s basically all it is. I cringed at my folly and condemned it to a dark place, never to be worn again.
Until.
My genius of a little sister suggested I wear a bikini under it and that’s how the beach dress was born!
Basic dress made of basic shapes
This was actually very simple to make. I did little pattern manipulation to get the overall shape except for at the bust where I did some contouring (of course). The skirt section is just three rectangles stitched together and gathered lots, which I feel gave the dress an overall shape that I like.
The straps were sandwiched between the bust pieces before being stitched into place and I added an invisible zip to the back.
Windy beach photography
Once it was established that this was to be a beach dress off to the beach I went! I wasn’t expecting much from British weather, maybe some raindrops here and a hailstorm there; that’s usually a given. But the wind! This was a new level of wind that I have never experienced! I tried to maintain a level of grace in the photos without being swept off my feet but unfortunately my outward demeanour just wasn’t translating to my hair.
It felt like I was battling the elements and it was a battle that I clearly wasn’t winning. I wanted my hair to look nice! Looking electrocuted would never make for a sexy beach pic. I tried everything; using my hands to pin my hair down, using hair pins to pin my hair down, using prayer to pin my hair down – it clearly just wasn’t going to happen. So I made do with the windy conditions and posed like this hair was on purpose.
Conclusion
The dress is tots adorbs! Like OMG.
My hair, not so much.
Pictures
I must agree with your sister that this is the perfect beach dress (wind aside :D). I’m glad you could find the true purpose of this dress as the fabric is a great summery print!
Thank you! I’m so glad I didn’t condemn it to a dark place, it’s actually a really nice dress 😀