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Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
I believe you can love your home just the way it is, AND have the power to design and make big changes to make it better.
I'm also the author of DIY Wardrobe Makeovers!

The Christmas party dress, and How to Wear DIY

I'm  not a "little black dress" person. I don't even think I own any anymore, really. Oh, no, one--but I never wear it. I don't wear much black at all, except my new faux leather jacket (worn here and here) and my off-black jeans, but I like black best when it's paired with something unexpected, like brown or tan or ivory! For parties, the last thing I want to wear is an LBD. I like to stand out!

And it's Christmastime, so the perfect dress for a holiday party for me is not a basic LBD with great jewelry; nope, it's a shockingly red dress that just made, inspired by these festive cute frocks!
Source: ModCloth via Suzannah on Pinterest
Source: ModCloth via Suzannah on Pinterest
Source: ASOS via Suzannah on Pinterest

And then there's the lovely red and hot pink Kate Spade dress Taylor Swift wore... super simple style but great bold fabric and colors!

I guess I'm just going for the super simple, classic look this season, in BRIGHT red!

I found some red cotton in a diamond pattern weave at Goodwill not long ago for $2.99 or something for like 3 yards. Love when that happens. It was extra wide, too. I'll wear red any time of year, but it's perfect right now!! So I pulled out the classic lines of the bodice from Simplicity 1873, that Cynthia Rowley dress and jacket, and--what else--pleated the skirt with big directional knife pleats. The fabric is a little on the heavy side, so it actually stood out by itself pretty well. Only one panel in the skirt!, but it's short, so keeps it full-looking.

I wore it to my coworker's "fancytime" Christmas party--that's literally what the invitation said--so it was perfect with some gold bauble-ey jewelry and super party-ey shoes!!

Ta-da! So festive. I'd love to add a hot pink something-or-other for another festive look, channeling Taylor Swift. I'm sure there are LOTS of ways to change it up--just like a little black dress, this one is versatile!

You may recognize the diamond-ey fabric from my cute mantel banner decor, which I did after cutting this out, and of course the (reversible) Christmas stockings I made and did a tutorial for!

19 comments

  1. Wow! Your dress looks better than any of those you posted. I'd say you nailed it :)
    ~Ashlee
    http://ashleenikol.com

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  2. Wow, you look stunning in this dress! The color and fit really suit you. Oh, btw, I adore that necklace!

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  3. Anonymous12/19/2012

    The dress turned out great. You look very festive.

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  4. I love this dress! I'm so stuck on what to wear this Christmas - its the first year that we are having a casual Christmas lunch rather than the over-the-top- 'do that we usually have and it's got me in a real pickle!

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    1. I had that problem last weekend for a brunch--I don't own much in a true red, aside from this dress! Was wishing for a great red sweater or plaid shirt =)

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  5. Omg that dress is so beautiful! The entire look is just perfection xx

    A Little Beauty Luxury

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  6. So great.This dress look so pretty.Love you outfit.

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  7. You look elegant and fresh. Love the styling.

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  8. Oh, it's beautiful! So classy and fashionable. :) I believe I met you and your mother at the Regency Picnic this summer, and it's neat that you're into both modern and historical fashions.

    Happy sewing!

    Katrina @ Edelweiss Patterns

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    Replies
    1. Oh, so cool! That sounds about right!! I love that picnic. =) Nice to hear from you!

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  9. I, too, love red and will wear it any time of year. This dress is just gorgeous! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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  10. So very chic! You could wear that for Valentine's Day too!

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  11. Dutch Girl12/20/2012

    Wow, I love this dress. I'm also making such kind of dress for christmas, but than with sleeves and from wol, since it is very cold overhere. But I really like this dress and the very bright red colour. Futhermore, I like the golden accent in combination with the red. Good Job!

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  14. You look gorgeous! Love the red dress and lipstick :)

    www.seesimona.blogspot.com

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  15. What a beautiful dress! And the lipstick is gorgeous. Do you mind sharing what shade/brand that is? Thanks!

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