Many months ago my friend Marissa reached out to me about completing a fun sewing project where we aimed to replicate royal style. We chatted for awhile about picking a look we loved and one we felt would be easy to wear in our everyday more casual lifestyle. Drawn to the beautiful burgundy color and the fun shape of the peplum top worn by Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games, we set out on making our own versions. Below I will talk about how I achieved my DIY Meghan Markle Style Top and make sure you hope over to Marissa’s blog to read all about her beautiful top.
DIY Meghan Markle Top
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I started by taking a close look at the inspiration top. I had to dig a bit but was able to find a cream colored version posted on the designer’s website: Scanlan Theodore Isn’t it gorgeous? And if you have a spare $550 laying around, it can be yours. Since I was trying to do my best to recreate the look, I picked my top design elements I wanted to focus on in my make. I loved the fitted wrap bodice, the tie, the peplums flare and assymetrical cut and the neckline (which ended up getting me into trouble…more on that below).
I started with the fabric. On a trip to Joann I found this gorgeous refined ponte in the perfect burgundy color (I can not find the burgundy online but linked to the refined ponte). I have used this fabric before in the teal (I made pants here). It is a high quality, thicker ponte that does not pill and has nice structure to it without being too stiff. Not to mention it is soft and comfy to wear. After purchasing my fabric I set off to find a pattern.
I recently made the Isabel Pattern from Made for Mermaids for the first time. I loved the fit of the wrap on me and thought with a few quick changes it could be perfect for this project. Here is the original Isabel in dress length- blog post here. (I guess I have a thing for burgundy wrap clothes 🙂
I took the top length and originally tried to slash and spread the peplum piece to create more fullness. Sadly, it just didn’t give me the volume I was looking for, so I decided to use the peplum pieces from the recent Made for Mermaids release- Ivy. I originally made these tops (the teal is that same refined ponte from Joann) You can see that skirt portion is much more full and closer to the look I was going for.
I cut out one full peplum piece from Ivy (a front and a back piece) and then another half of the peplum (front only) for the part that wraps underneath. I sewed the peplum onto the bodice of the Isabel, leaving it open as a wrap. On the side that wrapped around the front, I took my scissors and slowly cut away a little bit of fabric at a time to create the asymmetrical hemline. Since I did not hem the edge and left it raw, this was easy to keep cutting and adjusting until I liked the way it looked.
The only major hiccup I ran into was my own fault. Remember when I said the high neck in the back of the original top was one of my favorite design features? Well, I thought I could rework the Isabel into more of that shape and well…I can’t 🙂 LOL – It just didn’t fit right and was causing some headaches so I had to get it back to the original pattern (or close to) with some creative cutting/sewing. I also decided to add a snap in the center front of the wrap because after messing with the pattern a bit and the thicker fabric, I felt it was pulling away a bit more than I wanted it to. You can see from the orginal I made of the Isabel pattern that I do not think that is consistent as a pattern issue, but rather something I caused from trying to manipulate the pattern pieces unsuccessfully.
I styled the top with my favorite high waisted Levis and some older pumps to create a look similar to Meghan Markle.
Overall I am very happy with how this look turned out. I certainly did my fair share of mistakes that didn’t help, but in the end I have a top that is cute, easy to wear, and looks similar to the Meghan Markle Inspiration top. I hope I have inspired you to take on some of your favorite looks, whether it is royalty, celebrity, or designer fashion. It is rewarding to see what you are capable of making with your own skills and unique to your personal size…not to mention, it may save you a few hundred bucks 🙂 If you choose to make any of your favorite royal fashions, please tag Marissa or me on Instagram and use the hashtag #replicateroyalty. We would love to see what you are making and cheer you along.
Until next time,
Happy Sewing
About 18 years ago I decided to teach myself how to sew. Long before blogs and resources available today which meant it was often disastrous. But I never gave up because I loved it so much. Today I love helping others get started on their own sewing journey. You can read more about my family and I