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After I made Penelope’s sweet summer romper, I knew I needed to make a matching look. I mean, seriously. Gold clogs and red striped fabric? YES. So much yes.

All images by Pierson Photo Company

I’ve got a few of these dresses in my closet now, I can’t stop making them. Can we talk about how awesome shift dresses are?! I can have a giant food baby in there and no one would ever know. And yes. There was a food baby in there. No real baby.

To switch up the style just a touch, I added a tunic-style hem with a slit on the sides and a high-low hem. The blunt high-low hem changes the look from any other shift dresses out there. I feel like it adds a bit of edginess in there. Maybe a slight ’90s vibe? I’ve been crushing on the ’90s hard core lately.

Creepy skull!! Hahah! I love that. This is one of the few stores I’ve been to lately that didn’t have Christmas Decor up already. Sheesh. It’s still September. I’m not sure I want to think about Halloween quite yet!

This dress is perfect for Summer, but I’ve been layering it with blazers and jackets to transition to fall. I think the black leather warms it up for the cooler season that’s approaching.

Let’s talk a little about the sewing process! Here’s what I did:

• Used Megan Nielsen’s Briar Tee as a base
• Raised the neckline
• Lengthened the hem to a dress
• Shortened sleeves
• created a high-low hem

Creating a split hem isn’t as hard as one might think. It’s a little trickier when serging the side seams, but not impossible at all. Here’s how to do it with a serger:

• Serge the side seams before putting the layers together (if it’s woven, if it’s a non-fraying knit, no need for this step).
• Sew the seams about 5″ shy of the desired slit spot.
• Switch to a regular sewing machine, with a straight stitch sew all the way to the slit line (make markings on both sides for consistency).
• Fold the seam allowance back in on itself and sew a top stitch around the slit. I do up over and down on one slit in one go.
• Hem front and back as desired.

If you’ve been nervous about split hems like this, don’t be! They’re super easy! Let me know if you need illustrations for the above instructions. :)

Outfit details:

• necklace: c/o Cents of Style
• bracelets: c/o Tai Pan Trading
• jacket: Ted Baker
• dress: me-made
• bag: Coach (from my awesome Mom!!!!)
• shoes: c/o Sven Clogs

Let me just say, I absolutely love these clogs. They fit perfectly. I’m wearing them constantly. They’re the perfect momiform shoes: they’re easy to chase kids in, they’re comfortable all day and they look so cute! I’m a huge, huge fan. Seriously, I can’t seem to get enough.