This week on the blog I want to highlight one of our most popular patterns, and one of our most popular hacks! The Gilbert Top is easy to convert into a sleeveless top with a few modifications, and we have a whole blog post showing you how it is done. It has been a while since I made that first sleeveless Gilbert, so I am excited to share a new version with you.
This sleeveless Gilbert is made in washed linen from Blackbird Fabrics. The color is called “cerulean”. I love this bright and cheerful shade of blue so much and it worked out really well in this application. The collar looks crisp and neat in this linen and the rest of the top has nice structure without feeling stiff.
In order to make the Gilbert Top sleeveless, we need to make some simple changes to the pattern. We brought in the shoulders, altered the shoulder slope, and raised up the bottom of the armscye. The arm openings are finished with a bias binding. You can see the step-by-step instructions for how to make this pattern hack here.
I’ve paired this blue Gilbert with a pair of pinstripe Lockhart Pants. You can see details about these pants here. I love how the pinstripe makes these loose pants feel like menswear and I think it looks so chic with this top. The combination of the blue and the black and white is so good! Not only that, but this outfit is super comfortable. Win-win!
For this Gilbert hack, we did the regular front, not the tie front. I like to style it tucked into my pants so the tie front is not necessary. You can choose whichever front and length you want to make for your Gilbert hack. It would be easy to lengthen it to make a dress hack, too!
I hope you give the sleeveless Gilbert hack a try! It’s one of my personal favourites, and a community favourite as well. You can get the Gilbert Top in our shop!
