Men's dress shirt to halter sundress

 I decided it was time I try that staple of refashioning – the men’s dress shirt. I was lucky enough to find a super huge, plain blue one in good condition at my local Goodwill for a few bucks. I decided to make a sundress, incorporating another blue, sheer, Western-ish shirt I had but never wore anymore. Here are the two shirts in their original states.

First, I removed the pockets from the men’s shirt and chopped it in half under the arms. The bottom part became my skirt, which I sewed into an a-line shape and then gathered at the top. I made a waistband from the white trim on the Western shirt, backed by fabric from the men’s shirt for stability, and added it to the skirt. The short sleeves of the men’s shirt, opened up, made the front panels of my halter top. I gathered them at the top and joined them across the back of the neck with a strip of the front facing, for a cute button detail. I used a chunk of fabric from the back of the men’s shirt for a back piece to the sundress. Finally, I added an extra button to hold the front halter pieces together.

Here’s how it looked when I was done.

It seemed like a shame to not use more of the sheer shirt, and I wanted the option of a more modest look. So I made a collar piece to wear with the dress. I just cut off the collar of the sheer shirt and a few of the buttons below it. Then I finished the raw edges with blue bias tape. Here’s how it looks with the collar, as I squint into the setting sun.

And finally, since it is getting a little chilly now in Illinois, I styled it with a tan jacket.

My daughter told me I look like a farmer’s wife! I guess I was going for a prairie vibe.

Thanks for reading!

Amy