winter white dress

I have been so busy this week that I didn't finish a new garment over the weekend / through the week as I have been endeavouring to do this year. So far so good though, we're currently in week 19 of 52, and I have completed / refashioned / finished UFOs for a total of 24 items plus muslin, so I'm still on top of that new year resolution.

Anyway, the cool weather here in Sydney means it is time to pull out my new favourite winter dress that I made last year and have already worn many times. It is made from Vogue 2538, a Montana design, which is already OOP but I just checked and it's a 2001 pattern so I guess it's not that new! I can't remember when I purchased it, but I do remember buying it to make the jacket which I never ended up doing.

I love this dress - the simple styling with well placed darts and shaping to the dress at the waistline is very flattering without being clingy. I used the sleeves from the coat instead of the little cap sleeves since it is a winter dress after all, but cut them off at the elbow and used a narrow band to create a bit of puffiness to them. The fabric I used is a cream wool with a light grey brown check pattern - yeah even though the pattern said it was not suitable for obvious diagonals, plaids or stripes I used it anyway! Fabric thrifted of course, from some op shop or other and washed in some eucalptus liquid wash it came up like brand new.

I usually wear it with some black opaques to get a mod look, and worn with one of those thermal spencer tops underneath it's very warm to wear and it certainly stands out in winter when everyone else is wearing black, black and black. You know, I never realised until I started blogging how much I like to go against the grain and avoid conformity, particularly in fashion, but I don't think that's a bad thing and it's certainly a major reason that I sew - to be individual and stylish, not a slave to fashion trends.