Simply That! One Basic Dress, Ten Great Looks

One major trend emerging from the past few season is something called "Quiet Luxury." In another era, this was a conservative look simply known as "classic." There has been so much smoke and fire, so many clown shows at the collections that have turned me off from fashion...I will admit...at first glance, I welcomed the calm of it all. But when this "quiet luxury" began to surface at the red carpet events, I felt it was way too simple to the point of being...well.....boring. While putting together the Golden Globes red carpet post, I noticed how many of the gowns were similar. A little change in the neckline; the addition of a sleeve....each dress seemed to be built on a simple base, only distinguishable by a single element. So that got me thinking....

Eleven years ago when I launched this blog, it was with the idea that using basic patterns, almost any fashion could be created. To that original idea, I decided to start this year with a basic primer on styling. For anyone who has followed this blog long enough, you will not learn anything new to make but rather, my aim is to provide ideas as to how you can whip up a variety of looks quickly and easily with little effort. All of the dresses here are black...another throw back to my love of "the little black dress" especially with an eye towards the up and coming Oscars red carpet. I also kept my palate simple as a way of drawing attention to the general idea of how elements can be added to create an entirely new look without distraction. But feel free to take these ideas and run with it by using any color or combination of colors. 

For this exercise, my base is the strapless sheath, featured here in stretch velvet. (Velvet also appears to be on trend!) This is a fun fabric in the sense that if you are an experienced sewer, you'll use the pattern to ensure a good fit. But if you are doing your best to make something simple...you can make a simple tube that stretches over the doll's body! All by itself, worn with a pair of opera length gloves and a "diamond" necklace...it's a great look that goes everywhere. But why stop there. 

Take two 10x10 inch (25x25mm) squares of fabric and attached them together at one corner. For my dresses, I left the edges rough cut to add an element of texture. Perhaps you might prefer them rolled and sewn down. I also found a small rhinestone broach which will be used at the center of these panels.

There are three points where you can add this to the dress. In the back it makes a lovely train. In the front, off to one side, it adds a bit of drama and flare. And then you can always drape it over the front of the neck, letting it trail over the shoulders into a train! 

Let's go back to our basic dress and modify it a bit with a little touch of "Chanel" using a little bit of satin ribbon.

The satin ribbon can be folded over the top of the neckline of your dress. Keep in mind, the ribbon will not stretch so you will need to incorporate a back opening. Extend the ribbon over that opening so that it will overlap. On the overlap, you can sew on a hook&eye. If you are really sewing challenged and want to add another element without too much drama... a length of 1-1/2" to 2" wide (4mm) is all you need to stream over dolly's shoulders! But lets not stop there....

Keep the same dress and add two giant bows, one on each side!

What I've done here was to cut two strips of fabric and fray the edges. Fold each strip over and using a very narrow ribbon, tie it around the folded strip to form a bow. 

Attach each bow to each side of the dress. And voila....you have another gown with a Chanel vibe!

What is great about this look is that you can do no wrong. Nothing has to be perfect when it comes to the bows. It all adds to the "creative look."

But don't stop there...... Let's go back to the basic, white trimmed black velvet gown.

I've augmented the neckline trim with my 1-1/2" satin trim. Use tucks and pinches to the ribbon trim on the neckline below. Pin as you go along. Then, make several large loops and pin in place. Part of the ribbon will trail over the front, the other part down the back of the shoulder. When you are happy with the look, tack everything down in place.

 Let's go back to our original basic black dress..... 

All this is...is a length of fabric with a ribbon tied in the middle. Add a small piece of 1/2" (2cm) ribbon to one shoulder of your sheath, then pin this train in place! That's all!

The addition of removable sleeves is another way to add style to a simple dress. It also adds versatility to the dress and can be used to compliment other strapless or sleeveless garments!

1. For this puff sleeve with train, I used a contrasting taffeta. It is constructed in two parts: a a narrow tube that serves as the base of the sleeve; and a larger square of fabric to be gathered and made into the pouf.

2. Both the tube and the pouf have the top and bottom edges turned down and stitched. The back edge is stitched down the seam line.

3-4. For the pouf, a running stitch is made at the top and bottom edges. Pull the string to form the gathers then slide over the base of the sleeve tube.

5. Pin in place and adjust the gathers, leaving space at the top and bottom.

6. You can use as is or add another panel at the bottom underside of the pouf.

7. The finished sleeve will look like this or something similar, depending on how big or small you want your pouf to be.

8. What I love about this look is that you've not only added a sleeve but a train as well!

We can also capture the mood with existing elements like the following "flower blossom" sleeve. It's made with a tube of stretch velvet onto which petals from silk flowers have been added (inspired by J-Lo's pink gown from the Golden Globes)!

Unless you want to, you don't have to be stuck with such a simple neckline or silhouette either. And you don't have to follow a fancy pattern either to get the effect.

Easy sweetheart neckline is a hack I've used often. Take a needle and thread, make a few stitched down 1/2" (1cm) the center front and pull into gathers. Then turn the needle around and make another stitch to secure. 

Easy fishtail. Honestly, I detest fishtail gowns, but there are a few times when copying a celebrity red carpet look, that I've had to resort to this hack! It's as simple as cutting a rectangle of fabric and hemming the top and bottom. Sew together the single seam at the back. Place a running stitch at the top and gather. Slide onto the dress and tack in place. If you want..you can add a ribbon along the stitch line. 

A quick and easy, down and dirty pouf sleeve is as simple as making a tube for the sleeve and tacking on a bit of fabric that has been twisted and tacked onto the base.

Put all three EZ hacks together and you end up with this off the shoulder, retro glam look, here pictured in velvet! 

Let's do one more but this time I've changed up the fabric and used a polyester organza. It occurred to me that instead of buying and using silk flowers for your sleeves, some of you might want to make your own. I made petals from the organza and tacked them onto small sleeve tubes to create this look.

And then I decided to add a train. Again, in a pinch when you don't have lots of time or are simply too lazy to make a proper train, you can take the easy way out with a length of fabric tied with a piece of ribbon which is then tacked to the back of the dress.

Put the two together and voila!!! A magnificent dress that started out so simply!!!!

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