If you’ve never sewn or worn a dolman top, you’re in for a treat! Because they don’t have set-in sleeves, they’re a breeze to sew—and breezy to wear. We love that the Cedar Dolman Top can be made up in both knits and drapey wovens, which means it can look totally different depending on what fabric you choose. So with that ocean of possibilities in mind, where do you even begin?

We’ve rounded up some of our favorite ideas from ready-to-wear fashion that we think will inspire you and help you identify your dream Cedar (or give you ideas for a whole wardrobe of ‘em!). Plus, we’ve thrown in a bunch of ideas for how to hack your Cedar, and for how to make your Cedar work for you all year long. So let’s dive in!

Cedar Dolman Top Inspiration

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View A of the Cedar features this pretty tie detail at the hem. And it’s knot hard to sew, we promise!

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Play with the direction of your stripes to get different visual effects. Cut your front pieces on the bias for a chevron look, or add a contrast yoke to the back.

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Fall for florals! If you’re drooling over these floral dolmans, we’ve got just the fabric kit for you.

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The Cedar’s clean design means you can let your fabric’s print shine! We think an animal-print Cedar peeking out from under a blazer would look so cool at the office.

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Think a relaxed-fit dolman can’t be fancy? These sequined tops might have you questioning that. (And then running to the store for some sequined fabric.)

Cedar Hack Ideas

The Cedar Dolman Top is just begging to be hacked. If you’ve never tried your hand at pattern hacking before, this is a great pattern to start with. Break out of the pattern and play a little!

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The easiest hack to do is to cut the center front on the fold, thereby eliminating the center front seam. Just remove the seam allowance from the center front and you’re good to go!

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No garment should have to bear the indignity of being pocketless. Throw on a patch pocket or two—or three!

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This hack is a little more advanced, but still not as complicated as it looks. Add a faux button placket in the front of your Cedar—or better yet, in the back.

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And the fun doesn’t stop there. Why not add some shoulder detailing, decorative embroidery, waist elastic, sleeve cuffs, color blocking length for a dress, dropped shoulder sleeves… we could go on and on. The Cedar is ripe for hacking, and we are here for it.

How to Layer the Cedar Dolman Top in Fall and Winter

So you put all this work into sewing a new top (well, not that much work, but you know)—and now temperatures are dropping. Thankfully, you can make your Cedars work for you all year long with some creative layering. Here are a few styling ideas we love:

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If you’ve got irregular temperatures in your place of work (like we do here at the Cashmerette studio), it really helps to be able to put on or shed layers. So throw on a cardigan, shawl, or blazer over your Cedar for the office, or bundle up in a jacket or coat for going outside. (How great does that olive Cedar look under Jenny’s cashmere Chilton Trench Coat?) Or for the gym, throw a sweatshirt or hoodie over your athletic Cedar that you can take off after your warmup.

Want more Cedar Dolman Top inspiration? Check out our athleisurewear inspiration post for more curvy and plus-size dolman top ideas. And if you’re ready to start sewing, head over to our Cedar sewalong!