Easy Shirt Tailoring

When I was after-Christmas sale shopping in Mexico City, I found a cute shirt at Zara. The only problem: it was an extra large. And while the I'm-wearing-my-boyfriend's-shirt look is sexy, it is not great for going out in public. Luckily, a few simple tricks can turn an oversized shirt like the one at the right into a cute and form fitting shirtdress like the one above.

The main problem with wearing a shirt that is too large is the droopy shoulders (see below). Droopy shoulders leave chicken wings of extra fabric between your arm and your body, making it harder to move around. This can easily be fixed with a single line of stitches, done by hand or with a sewing maching. The key is to sew a line of large baste stitches on each side of the blouse next to the shoulder seam that connects the front of the blouse to the back. Then, pull the stitches tight to rouche or gather the seam. This pulls the sleeves up to their rightful place. You can then simply knot and clip the thread or, for extra strength, reinforce the gathers with another line of stitches. Now your arm should be able to rotate freely with the sleeve.

Another way to create form is to cinch the shirt around the middle. The one I bought came with a tie around the waste. You can add your own by attaching a single strip of fabric in a matching color. Or, do what I did and belt the shirt at the middle. 

There! Easy, no-machine tailoring that won't cost a dime.