“The purpose of this dress was to learn the basics of a men’s shirt pattern in my first design class at KSU. I customized the shirt by adding length to make it into a dress, as well as adding contrast panels for some flair. This shirt was made for myself as the target market but would also appeal to many women in high school or college as it is spring neutral. Some of the primary methods used on this dress were CF plackets, pocket construction, cuff, and collar construction. This project was a success as I learned new skills of shirt construction while working on industrial machines. My favorite part of this piece was completing the topstitching details. This project embodies our 150-year legacy of excellence and empowerment because it shows how we started as designers. We each took this basic men’s shirt and added our own style. For me, this project took me back to the basics, allowing me to focus on the little details. This shows a legacy, like the many women who came before us in this program all had to start with the basics and progressed their way up on projects from the ground up.”

— Tamara Brinkley

Model: Laquaeja Williams ︱ Photographer: Shreepad Joglekar