no 1970s hippy style going on here

My mum was reminiscing about this pattern she made in her younger days (aka pre kids) in a floral cotton which she more than likely wore with cork wedge shoes that were in fashion the first time around.

So I thought I would make View 2 into a dress using a black and white pinstripe stretch cotton purchased from the closing down sale at the Home Yardage that used to be in York Street in the city several years ago. I modified the pattern by ditching the puffy sleeves because I feel silly in them, and I replaced the flared skirt with a pencil skirt to suit the pinstripes better and also because the fabric was too stiff to hang nicely in folds as per the pattern envelope. And, some 33 years later here is my take on this pattern.

Worn with a red belt and some red shoes (I have about 9 pairs of red shoes to choose from), and paired with a white jacket to wear in my chilly office, it’s the perfect simple outfit for a day in the city during summer. Amazing how a few simple modifications takes a pattern from the past into the present.

I finished this a few weeks ago and it has passed the all day wear to work test with flying colours (I find I can never be sure of the fit until an item is worn for a full day). And then I spied a new Vogue pattern 8184 made into these lovely creations on Colette’s blog which in my eyes is a very similar style to the dress I made – I almost feel in fashion for a change (as opposed to being deliberately quirky and different).