its been pretty difficult for me to think about a fall wardrobe. post september 1st the internet exploded with autumn inspirations and lookbooks - and while so many of these are truly lovely to look at, it just can't change the fact that i plan on going to the beach well into october - november if i can push it. and no matter how you slice it - there is really only one appropriate attire at the beach (pssst! its a swimsuit!) and it has summer written all over its tiny little face.
lucky (?) for me i also have a job. and having a job in texas means you will be exposed to numbing air conditioning. the kind that turns your fingernails blue. true story. like, everyday of my life. and so i take layering my clothing, not just as a nifty fad, but as a daily necessity of climate survival. i call it bipolar dressing. it takes a crafty person to dress for 90+ degree heat outside, and 60- inside.
and this is where i found the holes in my wardrobe that i'm trying to fill - beginning with the fall palette challenge. i own two blazers. i won't tell you how many times i wear them - or how frequently they get washed. lets just say, the numbers are disproportionate. for me blazers are the perfect bipolar option. you can throw them over just about anything and immediately up the old internal temperature, yet still look put together in a work environment.
so it was really a no brainer for me to decide to make a blazer for the fall. since both of my other blazers are nice, normal, neutral colors i thought it would be good to make one that could carry some punch. like i said in my last post, i love bright, orangey reds. particularly up next to my face. this might sound like a difficult - or strong - color to wear, but it really works with my complexion and helps keep things interesting. for this blazer i decided to use burda's sweatshirt sportscoat. i really love the idea of this more structured silhouette made out of an ultra comfy wool jersey.
it was a bit serendipitous that colette patterns released this pants pattern, clover, just in time for fall. perhaps those lovely ladies over at colette know that most of us are walking around in ill fitting trous? anyway, i'm a pants lady. i like to wear pants. well i like to wear skirts too, but i find myself reaching for pants more often than not. but the crazy thing is - i really don't own that many pants. and those i do either never fit, or for whatever reason, don't fit now. so this project has been on my list for quite awhile. i'm excited about the clover pattern because it looks like a super basic pattern that i can really tailor to fit my figure, and i can use it as a base for other pants designs. i plan on making these in a dark denim.
this one i really debated over. i definitely wanted this challenge to focus more on separates that could be mixed and matched and integrated into my current wardrobe. but some days a good dress just makes so much sense. i thought colette's peony was just simply lovely, and like the clover pattern, so easily adaptable. i'm having a hard time focusing on a fabric for this dress. i think, given that so much of the year is warm here in texas, its wise for me to make this dress in something like a silk crepe de chine. but what to choose! i think a shift dress like this would look great in a graphic print, or a classic polka dot. i'm also tempted to make it out of a bold blue (also a great compliment for my complexion). but i could also see a version of this for colder months in a great jewel toned double knit... i have some decisions to make...
ever since i saw these looks on brook&lyn i've been totally taken with the ease of these draped tops. i can see them working over fitted trouser, as a dress, under a blazer, tucked into a skirt. its basically my dream shirt. i would make these out of a soft rayon jersey in pale beige's and pinks - colors that i really think go with everything. for this one i will most likely draft my own pattern.
this one is pretty basic. and pretty versatile. i already own a navy striped shirt - but it has seen better days. this is also a pattern that i could probably draft myself, but figure i'll go with the burdastyle striped top pattern because i was intrigued by the possibility of the stripe design making chevrons on the sleeves. i think it will add a bit of visual interest to an otherwise simple shirt (don't get me wrong. i loooooove me some stripes. at one point, i bought so many my wardrobe was bloated with them and i had to go on a stripe diet. but i think the time has come for stripes... again).
and finally, we have the midi skirt. i can't tell you how many days i stare discontentedly into the depths of my closet and think "if only i had a perfect skirt to wear..." these days "perfect skirt" would describe anything mid-calf length, blushy-beige in color and with a slight 70's romantic feel. you see, my skirt options are pretty pitiful. as i said, i'm more of a pants lady, and when the time does come for me to fem it up, i usually go the dress route. hence, no skirt buying/making and sadly, no skirt wearing. but no matter the indoor or outdoor climate, when i think of fall, i invariably have some mental image of a camel colored a-line skirt paired with tall boots. i haven't quite decided if i'll go the a-line route, or go for a more 60's pencil-skirt look, but regardless, i feel more than equip to draft up a pattern for this skirt.
so there you have it! i plan on making a grand total of ... 6 items! i feel this is pretty doable. especially since i haven't given myself a deadline! ha!
i'm currently waiting on a package from mood fabrics full of fabric swatches for me to pick from. one of the annoying things about this move for me has been the switch to relying on internet sources for my fabrics. whenever i think this though, a small voice pops up in my head and says "but sallie, you commute to houston everyday. surely you could just stop at the fabric store...?" and to that i say, "voice, you get to hide out in my head all day, me, i have to actually live my day. and at the end of it, i want to go home."
and so it is with great difficulty i have begun buying my fabrics primarily online. but luckily i can order swatches for 75 cents a pop from mood, and i can feel away before i buy.
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