A few months back I fell in love with a darling Tuckernuck dress with a hefty price tag. I loved the classic white, collared, sleeveless shirt dress style- that had a little flair with a matching blue and white enamel belt and buttons. I just couldn’t rationalize spending over $200 on a dress I would only be able to wear a few months out of the year.

So I decided to source the qualities of the dress I admired from a few of my more frugal shopping options. I found a shirt dress off of Amazon and selected a pack of blue and white floral print buttons. Though time consuming, the swapping and sewing of the new buttons was worth it. I then found a gorgeous vintage blue and white floral belt off of Poshmark and was able to recreate this coveted look for about a quarter of the price! Such a win!

The end result is such a ladylike look- maybe something Kate Middleton might wear! The shirt dress itself is a little roomy, I would recommend sizing down or pre-shrinking before wearing. This fabric is structured as well, almost like canvas or white denim.

I just can’t get over how perfectly the floral pattern on the buttons and belt coordinated. I honestly like my DIY dupe a bit better than the original. 💙