DIY [MIRANDA KERR] & MICHAEL KORS INSPIRED CUT OUT DRESS - kora organics guest post

I recently had the pleasure of doing a guest DIY post for the Miranda Kerr KORA Organics website. If you haven't checked it out already make sure you do - it's overflowing with lifestyle advice on beauty, fashion, nutrition and exercise. It also has a section on natural therapies which I am all for so check it out.  Random fun fact? Miranda went to the same high school as me in Brisbane for a couple of years (she was a few grades above), and according to one of my first-year university boyfriends, the thought that I could have sat in a chair that she had also sat on in a previous class made me wayyy way wayyy more attractive.

For the DIY, Brooke of The Style Net and I decided that I would recreate this absolutely gorgeous Michael Kors cut out gown Miranda wore to the CDFA awards this year.

(yup, lookin bangin)

As soon as I saw it I knew it was a look I was going to have to try to recreate using my DIY skills. The rib cut outs and front split lent itself perfectly to the re-fashioning of a basic black maxi dress.

You'll need:
A basic black maxi/midi dress in a jersey fabric (I bought mine from a cheap store for less than $10)
Scissors
Chalk
A needle and black thread

How to:
1. Put the dress on and mark where the two round cut outs should go using chalk. A circle about the size of a saucer sitting centred on each of the side seams at the height of your ribs is best. Note that while the Michael Kors dress has a cut out that goes all the way around the back - the one I made was just cut out on the sides and is intact at the back.
2. Cut the circles out.
3. Hem the circles using small stitches
4. One you have hemmed the but outs, pull the circles together in the front to create a gathered and a more triangular shaped cut out. I found this style suited me more and worked better with this soft jersey fabric.

5. For the split, put on the dress and mark where you want the front side split to stop. Cut from the hem to the marked point. Because of the type of jersey the dress I used was made out of I didn't have to sew the edges of the split but you may want to.

Voila! All done. Now all you have to do is pair it with your favorite gold jewellery and highest of heels and hit the town.

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DIY Dress Inspiration

Am busy planning a dress for another wedding in Aus in September - when you spend most of your money flying about going to weddings you often have to make your own dress, haha. I am completely taken with this style of dress - mini at the front and maxi at the back. Definite inspiration for the upcoming project....

Btw how gorgeous did Sara (Harper & Harley) and Nicole (Gary Pepper Vintage) look at the Cosmopolitan Awards?  The amazing sequin blush dress is by Aussie designers AJE.

Images:  Harper & Harley / Anna Della Russo via Style.com

DIY Black and Watermelon Maxi Dress

A little last minute change to my DIY outfit for the wedding I went to in Sydney on the weekend. Ended up layering a watermelon DIY floor length silk skirt (with a big side split) over a black elasticated bodycon dress with cut outs in the back. I sewed a black silk waistband directly onto the skirt while it was on to make it look more streamlined. The skirt had such a beautiful flow to it when I walked  and was so nice to wear. The candy store tiled walls of the bathrooms in The Ivy made a perfect (albeit random) backdrop for a few last minute pics.

Shop my closet here.

Wearing: DIY watermelon full length skirt with side split, whistles elastic bandage dress, black crystal bracelet.

DIY Side Split Wrapped Bodice Dress - The Tutorial

Thanks for all your lovely feedback on my DIY side split dress. This is the tutorial a lot of you have been asking for - the side split dress with wrapped bodice. It's so incredibly easy.

UPDATE: NOTE THAT SINCE I PUBLISHED THIS POST I HAVE POSTED A VIDEO TUTORIAL HERE ON A SIMILAR STYLE DRESS.

The first thing to do is to make a maxi skirt using the tutorial I gave here. Create the split by only sewing the top 30cm (or so) of the long seam together. To make the bodice you will need around 2m of fabric - preferably silk, with a width of between 50cm and 1m. In this tutorial I have a crop top on (admittedly not very sexy at all) but when you make yours you won't be wearing a top of any sort underneath.
Here goes!

1. Place the strip of fabric over your shoulder.

2. Tuck one end of the fabric into the maxi skirt.

3.Twist and tighten the fabric over your shoulder, making sure to cover your breast properly.

4. Still twisting, bring the fabric around behind your back.

5. Bring the fabric across the front covering your other breast.

6. Bring the fabric around tightly behind your back again.

7. Keep wrapping tightly until you have run out of fabric. When this happens tuck the end into the wrapped fabric and stitch down.

You're done!

This is the dress without the crop top on - I have done it a bit tidier here too.

It may take you a few tries to get the wrapping and gathering exactly as you like it - but just play around with it until it suits your style and your frame. Make sure you cover the top of the waistband of the skirt with the wrapped fabric for a more streamlined look - you can stitch these together if you want but I didn't bother. You can even throw a belt or sash around the waist too. How nice is the side view and the back with the twisted fabric?

For those of you concerned about bursting out of the dress, if you wrap tightly enough and stitch down properly you should be able to do a whole night of dancing without any trouble. Women in South East Asia have been wearing saris for thousands of years using techniques like this so I promise you'll be fine. Be sure to have a pair of scissors on your bedside table for when you get home - and cut the stitched thread and not the fabric.

I've made another one for the wedding I am going to but I still can't decide which to wear. I'll be adding a few little extra details on the day which I can't wait to show you. Do you know what the best thing is about this dress? Once you've finished wearing it you can unwrap the fabric and use it for something else. You can even unpick the maxi skirt and use that too! That's what I'll be doing once I have worn these dresses... Talk about recession chic.

DIY Side Split Dress

Have been doing a lot of research on what style of bodice to do for my side split dress - after getting some great feedback from you guys this week on the asymmetric style I made last weekend (so helpful, thanks!). This twisted cut out style is also so gorgeous... and DIYable? Watch this space...

Elle UK