Simple Dress Vibrant Print - Escada Interlock

The last post and the black bathing suit cover up had me thinking about how simple construction can be good for clothes that I wear on a daily basis.  So many patterns available are complicated, and the simple ones are so simple you think they can't be interesting, but in the last post a beautiful print is sometimes all you need to dress it up.  This is my new favorite dress for the summer.

It was expensive, so I only bought a yard, and very little is left, the white selvage was trimmed and used to face the sleeve openings.

Was a little unsure about the colors at the start but it looks great on me, and goes with at least 3 sandals I already own.

Look How Cute a One Day Project... or So It Seems... Seams

All you need are two squares or rectangles of fabric, and you can mix it up a bit by changing the neckline, some border print, ribbon or beaded trim.  Just remember to use crepe de chine, chiffon, or georgette fabric in as many layers as you feel you need to make it opaque or make a cami to go under it.

Day Birger et Mikkelsen

Roberto Cavalli

This has a waist casing and a thin silk tie.

I don't have shorts this short but you might.

Add openings at the waist wide enough to thread a silk tie through.

Anna Sui - silk Chiffon 

This one is a little more work, with the yoke piece and gathers just beneath the yoke (which you can't see because it's so dark).

So what body type can carry these off?

Apple dressing

My mother had a client who was an apple shape, and I had to design a few things for her, if I had to dress her today, here's what I would pick for her.

A dress that accentuates the under bust, and falls away from the body.  The length would be adjusted in proportion to her height.

Vineet Bahl

An open duster in a textured linen, the one below is a lace trench coat.

Alessandra Rich

 Temperley London

 Alexander McQueen

 Notte by Marchesa

Apples have the best evening wear options.

A jacket about hip length with a waist defining combination beneath.

Tory Burch Jacket

The Inverted Triangle dresses

What to wear when you look wider on the top and narrower on the bottom.  I would start with darker colors on top and lighter colors on bottom, and look for a way to add some width to the bottom to balance shape.

Valentino

Giambattista Valli

 This silk dress is a little wider on the bottom, with an inverted pleat at the center.

Phillip Lim

 Something with a fuller skirt to help balance.

Temperley London

And I thought this one was interesting but would like it a bit shorter, or maybe a gauze panel on the bottom, to make it lighter, and I would lose the sandals.

Kain

Pears in Pants

The famous pear in pants. These are my favorite, which looks like fitted from the waist to the widest part of the leg, and straight down maintaining a wide leg. The thing to consider here is that both of these examples are made out of a crepe with drape (and let's not forget the heels that are hiding under the hems).

These are cute and camouflage a bit.

Now if you'll bear with me, I also thing pears can carry off the harem pant look, and they might be a fun item to have in the closet.  I happen to love this outfit, I wish I could see the other half of it.  It looks a little like what we do when we come home with a lovely piece of buttery knit fabric, but better.

And because you know we live in jeans, these are fitted from the waist to the knee and flare.

Then there are the leggings, I like these on pears with the right top.  A peplum top that is fitted, with the hem hitting a few inches above the widest point would be a nice combination.

Here's another good combination, the hem is higher on the front and longer on the back.

I Like Pears in Dresses

So you say you are pear shape.  I wish I was, and I'll tell you why.  As an hourglass, if you are big, you are big all over.  When I get dressed, the top is big, the bottom is big, and if you don't point to the waist you have that is lurking, you just look big.  When you are a pear you are narrower on top, wider on the bottom and it's a very feminine shape.

BC says she can't wear a sheath... Camouflage

From everything I've read, they recommend the sheath dress for everyone... however I recognize that we all want to camouflage some area, but even within body types there might be challenges.  I don't like to show my arms, so I always want sleeves or sleeve caps.  I have a friend who always wants to show cleavage, she'll pick something to show that off.

So pick a part you want to show off, and one you want to hide and plan your dress around it, and if you can stand to wear them, get foundation garments to help smooth out areas.

If you like your decolletage...

This one is very daring but also pretty clever, because it accentuates (creates) the waist as well as the bust and neckline, and the design draws your eye up creating a vertical line. You could even add sleeves or capped sleeves and add a little more fabric to the neckline and it would still be very good.

Roberto Cavalli

What if you think you don't have shape and want to create an hour glass and you think your shoulders are narrow?  If your shoulders are wide, you can minimize the effect and remove the sleeves, or you could reverse the panel colors and make the side panels darker the center lighter.

Diane Von Furstenberg

Center panels are everywhere, some more subtle than others but how about this one, that is taking advantage of the fabric design?  This is a very simple dress, want to accentuate a waist?

Dolce & Gabbana

Add some detail to draw the eye to the waist..

What if you want to add curves to the top?  You can do it with additional fabric adding a ruffle or

Diane Von Furstenberg

With color to the top if you want to add visual width...

Diane Von Furstenberg

Or you want to visually reduce the top half 

Lela Rose

More Summer Dresses.... the Sheath is Here to Stay

A little snoop shopping yesterday and what was evident is that the economy has scaled back the fine designer floor space, or is it that we are living more casually now?

I ran to the Carolina Herrera section and found an entire selection of sheath dresses.  As with anything else once you have the fit down for the first sheath, you can pretty much set this up assembly line and finish a wardrobe off in a week.  They were all variations on the sheath, most of them made out of Italian cotton twill with spandex, 4 waist darts (2 front, 2 back), lined, center back zipper, some with higher necklines some a little lower and all sleeveless.

Once you have the pattern perfected, you can play with color blocking and piping, this is especially good if you don't have enough fabric, or if you could only afford 1 yard of that expensive Italian twill.

If you've ever seen coordinating prints and have wondered, what can I make with this one that is cashmere, and this other one that is cotton.  The scarf is a cashmere blend, and the dress is cotton spandex

Then we have this one that is the same silhouette but in polyester.

Now this is not my lifestyle now, although it wouldn't hurt to have one sheath dress in the closet for an emergency.

This won't stop me from making a few for summer, but they will be slightly shorter to wear with flats.  The other nice thing about this silhouette is that since they are skimming the body, they look good under jackets and sweaters.