Don't You Love Saturdays? I Do.

I haven't seen much writing about this line, so here goes.

Have you seen Kate Spades' more affordable new venture, Saturday? It's a unique retail and social media strategy, each Saturday they release online another "collection" of a hundred or so new pieces. Some of these are completely new items while others are their staple clothing designs that continue from one "collection" to the next done up in new colors, fabrics, and patterns. Their goal is to keep customers engaged and coming back.

These are basics with a clean design and unique details that keep them from being boring. Designs that would make for a great wardrobe on their own made up in different types of fabrics, colors, and prints. The fabrics range from graphic black & white designs, brightly colored solids, wild oversized florals, pixelated prints, photographic prints, painterly abstracts, to Spirographic circles.

These multi-category collections include everything: clothes, shoes, accessories, handbags, tech accessories, and even travel storage pieces. These clothes are perfect for weekends and going on vacation. The Saturday line is meant as the more casual and lower-priced complement to Spade's namesake line. Think of this as fun clothing for purely fun times.

There is one particular dress I would love to have this summer, the Let Loose Dress:

A gathered tunic dress with cap sleeves, 1/2" elasticized back hem, removable self-tie belt, and hook-and-eye back zip closure. Made in a stretch poplin of 97% cotton with 3% Spandex. As seen below, this belt can be worn around the entire dress or just laced through the slits and tied either to the front or to the back.

Let Loose Dress $170

DIY version:

I found a few patterns that could be easily altered to make a version of this dress; Simplicity 1620 view A, Butterick 5356, view B lengthened into a dress, and probably the best choice of the bunch, Simplicity 2147*, view B. A knit version could also be made with a few alterations to Kwik Sew 3559.

Simplicity 1620 - Butterick 5356 - Simplicity 2147

These three already share the mid-chest yoke, cut-on sleeves, and gathered body of the Saturday dress. Alterations that will need to be done to all are:

• Slash and spread the width of the body portion to create fullness and allow for more gathers.
• If the pattern has a straight or yoke-less back, alter the pattern piece to mimic the front.
• If neckline is large enough, you can omit the zipper completely.
• Create slits at the side seams to allow for a 1 - 2 1/2 inch wide belt.
• Place 1/2 inch elastic in the back hem only. 

Images: Kate Spade Saturday

*There is a fabulous version of Simplicity 2147 here by Jenni of Simple Beans.