From my sewing room to the office, work wear styling.

Hey Loves! If you’ve been following me for a while, you know a good amount of my sewing involves what to wear to work. Eight or nine hours in an office mandates it. So if I’m going to collect that hard earned paycheck, why not look good too!

My latest DIY look is this McCall’s dress I made that’s a little saucy. I used pattern M7863 which features an asymmetrical button-front and ruching. Both are good design features that strike the perfect balance between professionalism and style.

I used this gorgeous textured gauze-like fabric to enhance both. The stripes drew me in because they are bold, but sophisticated. This close up should give an idea of the texture and scale.

Believe it or not, I made ZERO attempts to do any pattern matching. If the end result had a random or organic look, I would have been fine with it. However, the stripe placement ended up looking very intentional. Go figure. My only specific effort was to run the dark stripe along the button front to make it a focal point.

This is also another one of my winners from the G Street Fabrics clearance room. Y’all may get tired of me flexing, but $2.99/yard! You CANNOT go wrong. But because these fabrics rarely have labels to indicate type or content, you’re left guessing. So, I washed and dried it to see what would happen. It required some ironing but responded by maintaining its integrity. No shrinkage or distortion.

The fabric did have some give, so I took advantage of that to snug up the fit. Maybe not outright sexy, but hinting at it.

Construction/Alterations

I did no segues with construction. I was faithful to McCall’s instructions.

If you are not a fan of hand-stitching, be forewarned. It’s required for the front bands and neckbands.

For alterations, just a few adjustments:

• Shortened sleeve and band length.
• Cut sleeve along the grain rather than cross-grain to run stripes vertically like the rest of the dress.
• Added snap closures above the top button and at the waist.

TIP: Baste the side seams. Once the button-front is completed, try it on. Make your fit adjustments along those seams and then stitch. This will save you a lot of trouble!

…from your sewing bestie

Styling

I opted for these strappy heels for the photoshoot, but full disclosure, I wore these pretty Jacolina heels by Vince Cameo to the office because they are at a comfy height. Cute, but work friendly.

Heels: Vanessa Sandal by BP.
Bag: Telfar shopping bag (Bubblegum)
Sunnies: Peepers

The final result is a winner in my book and definitely a classic that I will keep in my closet for few years. On to the next DIY look!

Shop the look.