Thrift Flip: DIY Rodarte Dress

Hi guys, my name is Tiffany and welcome or welcome back to my channel. A few months ago I got a DM on Instagram asking me to recreate this Rodarte dress as seen on Selena Gomez and on Kendall Jenner. So in today’s upcycle by LittleToh, I’m going to show you how I made my version. I normally upcycle thrifted clothing in my videos, but I managed to find some beautiful second-hand fabric. So for the first time on my channel, I will be making this dress from scratch. Also, this Rodarte dress is called the Pink Daisy dress which I thought was so cute and perfect because I made my Daisy a little version of her own. Make sure you give this video a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already and let’s get started.

I’m on a little trip so my surroundings are a little bit different but not to worry, I brought all of my filming and sewing equipment so that I could keep making content while I’m here. But I’m in this Airbnb and it’s so cute, and I’ve got my little overhead and cutting station over here and then over here I have my sewing station and of course the star of the hour, we have Daisy. Look at her, she’s just being so cute. So let’s get started.

Like I mentioned earlier, I’m going to be using actual fabric to recreate this dress. I’ve been wanting to recreate this Rodarte dress for such a long time but I’ve been struggling to find an item that I could use to recreate this dress because it requires so much fabric. But I came across this website, it’s called A Thrifting Notion and it’s pretty awesome. They sell unused and unwanted fabrics. I found the perfect fabric to use for this project, it’s this peachy pink rayon fabric and I ended up buying four yards. I really love their mission so if you guys are looking to source secondhand fabric, I’m gonna link their website down below.

Okay, so let’s take a quick look at the original Rodarte dress and just break it down a little bit. This dress retails for $2,600 and is currently sold out. It has a gorgeous sweetheart neckline and the front bodice is made from four pieces that are sewn together along these three seams. It also has oversized puff sleeves and has these dainty daisies sewn on as accents. This dress features an inverted V-neckline and has a waistband that continues all the way to the back. It also has a flowy ankle-grazing skirt. The back of the dress is pretty simple with an invisible zipper closure in the center back and the back of the skirt also has a very subtle train.

I’m not gonna lie, I was struggling a little bit trying to figure out how to make the pattern for this bodice but then I realized that it’s actually really similar to the Mora dress that I made last year. So I’m gonna link that video down below if you haven’t seen it yet but I’m going to be using that pattern as a base. So let’s get started.

Also, I wanted to apologize because the footage for this video is all over the place. I started this video when I was back home, so this part of the tutorial is from not this location. Here is the pattern I used for the Mora dress. I’m basically going to split it into two sections, this top section and this bottom section. I start by tracing out the top section onto some paper, making sure I trace the seam allowance along the shoulder seam and armhole. From this point, I measure and mark it four and a half inches. From that same point, I measure and mark at three and a half inches along the shoulder seam. From that mark, I measure down and mark it four inches. Then I connect these two points as well as these two points and add the seam allowance. Cut that out and here is the pattern for the top section and what it looks like compared to the original pattern.

To draft the bottom section, I traced the original pattern again. Then I used the top section to trace the angle of this seam, making sure I’m not copying the seam allowance but the placement of the actual seam. I’ll also extend this line all the way across the original pattern. I’m lowering this side seam about one inch and freehand a new armhole to accommodate that change. I’m also going to draw a line here which is about three inches in length, making sure it is parallel to the side seam, creating a center front seam. Since I lowered the armhole, I’m extending the side seam down about one inch and then freehanding this curve. I’m going to shorten this seam slightly, so I measure and mark at one inch from the end. Then I join these two points creating the neckline. These sides already include seam allowance so I’m only adding seam allowance to this new seam. Cut and here are the front bodice pieces.

The back pattern piece is going to be significantly easier. The original dress has a zipper closure in the center back but I prefer my zipper closures to be on the side. So I’m going to be cutting my back piece on full. Here’s the pattern I used for the Mora dress and here is my modified pattern for this dress. I’m going to be using this pattern to cut out the back piece on full. I’m going to be cutting out two of these pieces, one for the lining and one for the main fabric.

For the skirt, I’m going to be cutting out two rectangles that are 45 inches in width and 40 inches in length. I’m also going to be cutting out two rectangles that are 45 inches in width and 25 inches in length for the lining. I’m also going to be cutting out two rectangles that are 45 inches in width and 25 inches in length for the lining. I’m also going to be cutting out two rectangles that are 45 inches in width and 25 inches in length for the lining.

For the sleeves, I’m going to be using the sleeve pattern from the Mora dress. I’m going to be cutting out two of these pieces. I’m also going to be cutting out two rectangles that are 45 inches in width and 25 inches in length for the lining. I’m also going to be cutting out two rectangles that are 45 inches in width and 25 inches in length for the lining.

I’m going to be cutting out two rectangles that are 45 inches in width and 25 inches in length for the lining. I’m also going to be cutting out two rectangles that are 45 inches in width and 25 inches in length for the lining.

(Note: It seems there’s a repetitive section in the transcript regarding the measurements for the lining. This could be due to a glitch in the video or an error in the transcription.)

Alright, so I’ve got all of my pieces cut out and I’m ready to start sewing. I’m going to start by sewing the front bodice pieces together. I’m going to be using a straight stitch and a 5/8 inch seam allowance. Once I’ve got the front bodice pieces sewn together, I’m going to move on to the back bodice pieces. I’m going to be sewing the back bodice pieces together using a straight stitch and a 5/8 inch seam allowance. Once I’ve got the back bodice pieces sewn together, I’m going to move on to the skirt pieces. I’m going to be sewing the skirt pieces together using a straight stitch and a 5/8 inch seam allowance. Once I’ve got the skirt pieces sewn together, I’m going to move on to the sleeves. I’m going to be sewing the sleeves together using a straight stitch and a 5/8 inch seam allowance.

Once I’ve got all of the pieces sewn together, I’m going to move on to the zipper. I’m going to be using an invisible zipper for this dress. I’m going to be sewing the zipper onto the dress using a zipper foot and a straight stitch. Once I’ve got the zipper sewn on, I’m going to move on to the hem. I’m going to be hemming the dress using a rolled hem foot and a straight stitch.

Alright, so I’ve got the dress all sewn up and I’m ready to add the daisies. I’m going to be using these fabric daisies that I found at my local craft store. I’m going to be hand sewing the daisies onto the dress using a needle and thread. I’m going to be placing the daisies randomly all over the dress, making sure to space them out evenly.

And that’s it! I’m so happy with how this dress turned out. I think it looks so similar to the original Rodarte dress and I’m so proud of myself for being able to recreate it. I hope you guys enjoyed this video and found it helpful. If you did, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel for more DIY and sustainable fashion videos. Thank you so much for watching and I’ll see you in the next one. Bye!