My favorite part of the design process is fabric selection. For this new spring shirt dress design, I paired a crisp, luxury cotton shirting fabric by Burberry with a contrasting hand-dyed blue cotton for the outer cuff layer. To further add interest to the overall design, I chose glazed marine blue buttons to highlight the polka dot print.

I styled the look with a mix of longtime accessory finds that have been sitting in my closet (and that have also moved back and forth with me across the country), including a vintage black leather Coach handbag and (possibly vintage) powder coated white floral earrings from Steven Alan.

I also styled the look with three of my favorite go-to accessories:
1. Large red hair barrette by Sylvain Le Hen, made in France and inspired by sensual organic forms,
2. Whimsical multicolored ikat socks by Bonne Maison, made with high quality Egyptian cotton spun in Italy, and
3. Dieppa Restrepo black leather Dandy flats from Totokaelo.

As for design details, I oftentimes find button cuffs to be a little restrictive, especially when I want to roll up my sleeves. Thus, I decided to draft a three-quarter sleeve with a full slit cuff for more freedom and less fuss. (Plus, you can still see a peek of the polka dot fabric sewn as the inner cuff layer.)

This dress was recently featured in my latest article for Britex Fabrics, which includes a button placket pattern drafting tutorial written by yours truly. For order inquiries of this new dress style, please contact us at jamielaudesigns@gmail.com.