As the descent into winter continues and temperatures drop, I’m finding myself turning to the baggier, oversized items in my wardrobe. The dress I shared last week (worn three times already), my grey tunic and this sweatshirt dress from Monki have become staples in the last few weeks.

I’m also finding myself searching for looser-sitting ‘nicer’ dresses, too. Essentially something that I can wear to a Christmas party and not worry about stuffing myself silly with mince pies and sausage rolls, while still (hopefully) look like I’ve made an effort.

My main inspiration for this make is an oversized black and white polka-dot dress that a colleague at work has. Sadly, as I’ve never actually spoken to her, I won’t be able to provide any pictures! But trust me, it looks great – particularly when layered over a rollneck. Fortunately, this one from & Other Stories, is almost identical:

 

 

As a self-confessed lover of all things neutral and monochrome (blacks and greys feature heavily in my wardrobe), I was surprised to find myself drawn towards some grey and pink polka dot fabric while shopping at Kirstie’s Homemade Fair – perhaps it was my mum’s influence! I’m a bit naive when it comes to fabrics, but I think this is a viscose. It’s quite light and drapey, and feels a bit like a non-slippery silk (v technical description).

I love the idea of using a relatively delicate fabric for a simple garment, so plan to re-use my Lottie pattern (see my first attempt here) with this fabric to create this dress. Fingers crossed it doesn’t end up looking like a shapeless sack!