Design for Shabby Apple

I decided to enter a design for the Shabby Apple dresses contest this year. I love that they allow everyone try their hand at designing. I've entered this contest before and have never won, but I feel it's really important to continually put away your insecurities and extend yourself.

I wanted to enter a dress that I could imagine seeing on the Shabby Apple website....a design that is fun, with clean lines and wear-ability. Most of you are familiar with this dress....

I got my inspiration from the Anthropologie Sugar-Coated dress from last year,

but wanted my version to be the perfect spring/summer shirtdress,

so it's constructed with a breathable cotton fabric and a coral-hued polka-dot print.

Design for Shabby Apple

Shabby Apple: Dare to Design

I'm sooooo excited!!!

I've decided to enter my dress design into the Shabby Apple dresses Dare to Design contest. I love their dresses because they're feminine, wearable, and oh, so adorable.

The inspiration for this dress started when I traveled to Cayman Islands a few years ago and was enamored with the beautiful coloring inside the conch shells on the beach. I kept thinking how lovely a dress would be in those shades of coral, constructed out of a breathable and silky woven fabric.

At it's base, a conch shell has a very precise curved shape that flares out in waves with more abandon towards it edges.

With that shape in mind, I started with a fitted bodice having four very precise mini pleats nipping in the waist and let the skirt fall with abandon towards the richness of the ruched detailing at the hem.

If you want to have a vote in who wins the contest, you can visit the Shabby Apple website between October 22 and November 15 where the top 15 designs will be displayed.