When I was fifteen I signed up for a fashion design class. I had ambitious plans to knock the teacher off her feet with my designs and who knows, maybe even become a designer one day. Visions of me bowing at the end of a runway flashed through my head as I confidently marched into the classroom. On the first day we were plopped down in front of a row of sewing machines to be taught a few basics. I dropped the class two days later. Maybe styling was more my cup of tea.

While my career took on a different course, the urge to dream up the perfect top, dress or pant never dissipated. Enter Piol Dress, a website where you can design a custom dress suited for your unique shape and coloring. Inspired by the legendary Edith Head, one of Hollywood’s most renowned costume designers, who created a system for discovering the right colors and styles for each individual woman. The process is simple, you indicate your hair color, eye color and skin tone and Piol Dress serves up a handful of options for your custom dress. You do the designing from there. I went with a basic style and shade that I knew would pair with nearly everything in my wardrobe. And, not going to lie, it’s fun to say, “I designed it!”

Custom Piol dress c/o, Helmut Lang coat (on sale), Ash booties (on sale), Jennifer Fisher cuffs, Super sunglasses, Celine bag, Vita Fede cuff, BaubleBar cuff.

Photos by Arna Bee