Project Run and Play {Fashion Icon Challenge}

This weeks challenge for Project Run and Play was to pick our favorite fashion icon and make an outfit for our kiddo (or in my case, kiddo’s) based upon their style. I chose Nicole Richie and her boho chic style. I fell in love with her style while watching Fashion Star this past year. Her dresses were always amazing along with her accessories and hair styles.

Turning Nicole’s style into a wearable toddler style was really tough for me. Nicole’s looks have a lot of draping and layering and the construction for those were way beyond what I have ever made before. I  wanted to make the dress and top without elastics or gathers because that is how many of Nicole’s looks are. But after a few practice runs I finally figured it out how to drape and cut the fabric so it would fit and flow the way I wanted it to. They look fairly simple to sew but they were by far the hardest garments for me to make. A lot of Nicole’s styles are not only drapy and flowey, they also lay at different angles.I decided to go with two looks, a dressed up Nicole look and a more casual Nicole look…still have them coordinate. I started out by making the long dress. It took hours of trial and error but I finally came up with the perfect shape that is flowy around her middle and fits perfectly around the chest and neckline without any gathering. Then once the main part of the dress was made I added a ruffled collar and a ruffled piece to the bottom of the dress just to make it a little more toddler friendly. My little girl was looking more like a 10 year old then a 3 year old and let’s face it I’m not ready for that! The closure in the back of the dress is a simple tie that I made from a long strip of fabric. Then to add a little more sweetness, I made a lace vest using 1/2 yard of fabric and draping it so that is flowed longer in the front and shorter in the back. I made it sleeve-less so that the longer sleeves from the dress could flow freely. To finish off the look I made a belt using the lace fabric and added some knit as well as some leather from a belt I had on hand. And of course a bag was a must! So I made a slouchy bag out of denim and then added a handle made from the knit and lace fabrics that I had left over. Then I added the buckle part of the belt to the front of the bag for a little detail.The second look was a little more casual. For this look I made 4 pieces. The shirt was made the same way as I made the dress but just shorter in the length and longer on the sleeves. I used the same fabric tie closure on this shirt as I did in the dress but instead I put the tie in the front of the shirt instead of in the back. The vest was made out of corduroy fabric and is lined with purple lycra and pink. I simply layered the pink lace over the purple lycra to give it a little texture and contrast. For the tank top underneath the main shirt I used a simple design for the top and then added angled layers with the purple Lycra and pink lace to the bottom. Her pants bell bottom pants were made from some super stretchy denim-looking fabric. Layering was key in this look much like Nicole’s personal style. We made some necklaces and bracelets to go with the looks but after seeing them on with the outfits I chose to leave them off. They looked too overdone…and that is something Nicole never looks. She is amazing at layering and accessorizing, but makes it looks natural. This is the first long dress that my girls have ever worn. I always thought that long dresses were not practical for little girls but with the right flow they are great! My little girls just loves it and it has already been worn a ton! And those little bell bottom pants are LOVED so! I think it is the fabric…so comfy and stretchy, yet they look like real jeans.Now head on over to Project Run and Play to see all of the looks and don’t forget to show us some LOVE by voting for your favorite. I promise they are great and I’m in trouble this week!

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