Runway to Reality Look 5 Shirtdress

A Classic is A Classic

Introduced in the 1950s by Christian Dior, the Shirtdress borrowed details from menswear, including collars, sleeves, cuffs, plackets and hemlines, much like our Runway to Reality Look 3: Double Breasted Jacket
did. In the 1950s they were often cut with a bit more of a full skirted feminine flair, while today's styles can range from ultra feminine to basic boyfriend, usually sharing a belted waist.

Seasonless Style

The classic Shirtdress is our final Runway to Reality look and an ideal wardrobe builder. Wear it alone by day, with a sweater in the morning as the sun rises or a denim jacket when the evening chill sets in. In cold weather, layer with tights or leggings. BurdaStyle was inspired by the look they saw at New York Fashion Week and brought this look to you using their favorite features from three of our Brother machines. Meg from BurdaStyle chose their Shirtdress Pattern #166
because it already had a center front button and buttonhole placket as well as set in sleeves and a collar. Fabric selection allows you to highlight your own style when making a custom wardrobe. For warmer weather select a lighter weight flowing fabric like the poly crepe de chine as they have used here. You can also select other light to medium weight fabrics including but not limited to chambray, light to medium weight denims, shirting, faux suede, velour and velvet. Meg was able to make some simple pattern adjustments to achieve this look. After establishing the waistline she slashed and spread the skirt to add flare and she shortened the sleeves to allow them to puff a bit. Pop on over to Meg's BurdaStyle blog post
to see all about how she did these changes.

Speedily Stitch Along

When putting this look together, Meg was under a tight deadline and needed speed on her side. She chose to use our PQ1500SLPRW High-Speed Straight Stitch sewing machine
which sews up to 1500 stitches per minute! She used this machine for the main construction, embellishment with the ribbon and topstitching. Later, she changed the foot to the rolled hem foot and used it to make a rolled hem edge on the scarf. Great choice!

That Beautiful Finish

The adorable nautical print used is perfect for sunny days, but the poly crepe de chine frays a bit, so Meg chose to use our 5234PRW Serger
to finish all of the inside seams leaving a beautiful finished edge, especially at the armholes where you have added bulk due to the pleats.

That Personal Touch

Like the runway dress, a matching scarf was included with this look. For an added special touch, Meg added Ty's name to the scarf using our NQ3500D Combination Sewing and Embroidery Machine
. She was able to simply select a font, hoop the fabric with a wash away stabilizer
, load the embroidery thread
and go! Meg also used the NQ3500D to make the one-step, auto-size buttonholes on the Shirtdress.

Show Us Your Shirtdresses!

We hope that you have been inspired from these 5 looks in our BurdaStyle-Brother collaboration. Download the BurdaStyle and Brother Runway to Reality Look Book
for the full collection of looks made with our Brother machines. Brother would love to see your Shirtdresses. Be sure to share your photos with us on social media by tagging us at #BrotherSews on Facebook
, Instagram
and Twitter
.