Copy this look : Faux Wrap Dress

This year, I'm figuring out what's my style after having a lot of discomfort over my torn cartilage in the ribs last year (I said goodbye to all my ill-fitting and must-wear-a-bra outfits) So I went window shopping for ideas and tried the wrap dress in both knit and woven fabric on Cotton On.

I like the woven better. mainly because it hides my flaws pretty well and at the same time accentuates my small bust. So I made a mental checklists on my wrap dress must-have lists, went back home and drafted my own faux wrap dress pattern and decided to start making it without making a toile first (big mistakes!) Immediately, I found a gaping issue on the chest area, but thankfully I found a helpful site - made an extra dart on the neckline and reshaped the neckline.

The changes that I made on my version of this dress compared to the one in store :

• Made a dart on the neckline - The inspired dress was kind of loose on the neckline/bust, but the fabric was much lighter than mine, it draped my bust nicely so it wasn't really a big issue. But I used a thicker cotton for my dress, so the gaps are so obvious, so I made a small 2cm darts on the neckline.


• Eliminate the waist band


• Shorten the bodice


• Self bias binding (for the finishing of neckline and skirt) - reduce wrinkling, compared to the fold and stitch technique.


• Add a pocket (on the right side)


• Invisible zipper (on the left side, an inch below the sleeve) - I love the idea of having the opening on the side, it was much easier to get in and out of the dress, compared to having someone to zip it for you, when you had the zipper on the back.

Sewing Summary :
Pattern: Self-drafted pattern.
Fabric: Leftover fabric from previous sewing projects.
Notions: Invisible zipper
Alterations: Make a dart on the neckline for gaping issue.
Difficulty: Easy to sew, but drafting your own pattern is certainly a challenge. Great for confident seamstress.
Make another one:  Yes.
Notes: Sewing the waist tie to the front bodice. It can be a little tricky.


I think I will start a mini series of 'Copy this look' as I found a lot of inspiration from RTW-Ready To Wear items. In this series I will post pictures of the inspired RTW clothes and try to make a similar or better version of it.