men's shirt to dress refashion

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the mr and i spent most of the weekend being busy and getting ready
for our road trip down to california later this week,
and i was able to finish up a men's shirt refashion that i've had on my project list for too long!

before: giant chambray men's shirt thrifted for $2


after: simple summer dress!


don't you love it when an idea turns out even better in real life than you imagined?
i have been craving an easy summer dress project for some time
and found the perfect, super large shirt while thrifting with the mr a couple weeks ago.

i cut off the sleeves and the collar, leaving just the collar band.
i also took off the pocket because it looked a little funny down near my waist...
then i slimmed down the sides to fit loose so it would gather cute with a belt.
when i tried it on, the shoulders turned out to be long enough to be little cap sleeves!
so i just finished them at the bottom of the armholes to be kimono sleeves, easy peasy.



the shirt itself wasn't quite long enough to be a dress,
so i used the fabric from the sleeves to make a band at the bottom of the dress,
adding the sleeve's placket as a little detail on the side.

i finished just in time to be able to wear it to our fourth of july celebrations
of frozen yogurt and fireworks at the waterfront!
i hope that everyone had a fantastic weekend and fourth of july!




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Comments

  1. CarrieJuly 5, 2011 at 11:09 AM

    That is super cute, Michael! I would totally buy that.

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  2. ErinJuly 5, 2011 at 11:31 AM

    so cute!! well done.

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  3. MeredithJuly 5, 2011 at 11:34 AM

    I love this! I had just been talking about converting husband's less that favorite business shirts into dresses for myself. I would love it if you posted a tutorial. The cuffs on the dress boarder is so sweet. Thanks for sharing. I'm a new follower, here from MVD Thriftaholics.

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  4. michael annJuly 5, 2011 at 11:41 AM

    thanks for the feedback guys!

    meredith - i forgot to take pictures along the way to make it into a tutorial, but if i make another one i will certainly make a diy post!

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  5. MeredithJuly 5, 2011 at 12:49 PM

    awesome! love it. you rock!

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  6. madison avenueJuly 5, 2011 at 2:31 PM

    so super cute!! i think i will make one! i like how you used the sleeve to make it longer. really smart!!

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  7. AnonymousJuly 5, 2011 at 6:29 PM

    That is so adorable! You are a smart cookie! I love it so much!

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  8. kateJuly 5, 2011 at 6:44 PM

    this is so cute! maybe i'll make one too (someday!)

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  9. KristinaJuly 5, 2011 at 9:05 PM

    Oh, I love this! It loos great on you and a fantastic idea!

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  10. The Sisters 4 say MORE is moreJuly 6, 2011 at 12:12 AM

    this is so great! i have a stack of mens dress shirts and one of them needs to turn into this!

    ~selina

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  11. AnonymousJuly 6, 2011 at 4:41 AM

    This is fantastic, you clever thing! It looks so cute. I've actually been thinking about doing something similar for ages... You've got me inspired now!

    Katie x

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  12. Monica and WhitneyJuly 6, 2011 at 6:52 AM

    I CANNOT believe this used to be a man's shirt! So so fabulous.

    Enter our giveaway for a $50 Visa Card!

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  13. DarilynJuly 6, 2011 at 8:29 AM

    Cute! I've been wanting to try this. The band at the bottom is my favorite part!

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  14. UnknownJuly 6, 2011 at 6:30 PM

    my goodness michael! wild talent all over this one! i love it!

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  15. michael annJuly 7, 2011 at 9:52 AM

    So much fabulous feedback, thank you so much guys!

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  16. stephchowsJuly 7, 2011 at 12:58 PM

    LOVE THIS!! I want to go find a huge shirt now and make one!

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  17. Leah S.July 7, 2011 at 5:50 PM

    So stinken cute! Great job!

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  18. BelJuly 7, 2011 at 6:12 PM

    delícia de blog
    bjs
    bel

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  19. blue mossJuly 7, 2011 at 7:00 PM

    Love this too.....
    And the band at the bottom is fabulous.
    Michelle

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  20. NeusJuly 9, 2011 at 3:43 AM

    ohh stunning! Seriously you're an artist! A great idea, turns to be a great dress!

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  21. AngelaJuly 10, 2011 at 3:59 PM

    looks awesome!

    Method Clothe

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  22. Paul or MaryJuly 27, 2011 at 5:14 AM

    Just made this. Thanks for the idea. I did vary the hem s bit due to the style of the cuffs on the shirt I bought. I also moved the pocket to left skirt area and used a piece of the collar as a detail to make it handy to hold my phone
    Can't wait to wear it. Tofal cost of outfit ($3 for a Perry Ellis shirt, $1 for belt)..

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  23. michael annJuly 27, 2011 at 8:58 AM

    oh paul or mary, how fabulous! i would love to see a picture to see how it turned out, i love that you used different pieces of the shirt to really make it your own :]

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  24. jmpApril 28, 2012 at 4:40 PM

    I made one and it turned out great! Thank you for the idea. Mine turned out a little short because the shirt was a little smaller to start with, but I also added the sleeve and used the cuff for detail on the hem. It's perfect for a beach dress, and I am going to make another for more of an afternoon/town dress. Thank you!

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  25. JessicaJune 18, 2012 at 8:22 AM

    Such a cute dress! I have just found your site- I have just finished a tutorial on how to make a dress from an old shirt. It would be fab if you could check it out!

    http://craftygeogopher.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/mens-shirt-to-dress-tutorial.html

    Plus, there as some silly photos of me trying to model it at the end of the post.

    Jessica :)

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  26. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2012 at 7:44 AM

    So cute! How did you trim down the sides?

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  27. JennyFebruary 15, 2013 at 5:50 AM

    What a brilliant idea!!!

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  28. KristaMarch 23, 2013 at 9:32 PM

    Love this!

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  29. Indra's NetSeptember 12, 2013 at 5:46 PM

    SO I instructed my Mr to rifle through his side of the closet tonight before he left for work after checking your pin out. He came up with 2 Xl striped shirts I cannot wait to play with, Thank you very much ;) Namaste

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  30. Sarah EdwardNovember 17, 2015 at 1:16 AM

    I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
    tailored mens dress shirts

    ReplyDelete

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