the green mla dress

Finally, here are the pictures of my green dress! In my head, I've been calling it the MLA dress, since when I dreamed it up this fall, my goal was to have it done to wear to the Modern Language Association conference, which starts in a few days.

(This merits a quick side-note about English-professor-chic, a look that can be tough to achieve. Especially for dressier situations like conferences, you need to look polished and professional, but not corporate; alternative, but not over the top. As an insecure and sometimes frumpy grad student, attractive young faculty from prestigious institutions with sophisticated, cosmopolitan fashion sense are like my kryptonite.)

I fell in love with this fabric at Haberman's during my pattern-drafting class this fall. It's "Ralph Lauren" Italian embroidered virgin wool--Ralph Lauren in quotes because, as they explained to me in the store, designers rarely commission fabric, but buy samples from textile producers and then sell what they don't use to fabric stores. I love the two-tone embroidery, and I envisioned a sheath dress, with the pattern extending up from the hemline.

Here's a close-up of the embroidery. The color isn't quite true in this picture--the fabric is dark olive green, and the embroidery is done in a lighter green and an aqua-blue.


I drafted my own pattern for the dress, based on the sheath dress pattern I started making at the end of my pattern-drafting class. I copied several details--like the sleeve length and the skirt width--from this beautiful but impractical BCBG cocktail dress, which I love, and which really flatters my figure.



Since I was designing a daytime dress, I raised the scoop neckline and lengthened the hem. I also added a little more ease to the fit, so I could wear it over a sweater. Not only does wearing a turtleneck sweater underneath increase the versatility of a sheath dress, but as Erica B. points out, it is very of-the-moment, too!

All in all, I'm incredibly happy with how my dress came out. It fits me like a glove, and the finished look is very much what I envisioned when I first saw the fabric. There are a few details I would change: the neck is a bit too high in the back, and the right sleeve seems to have puckered a bit--I think because I caught the dress fabric when I hand-sewed the lining. But you can't really see these issues in any of the pictures, which is encouraging.


I've already worn this dress twice--once to a Christmas party we crashed (long story!), and again on Christmas eve, and I'm planning to wear it to the conference in a few days.

winter sewing

It's winter in Michigan. And winter here doesn't mess around--long underwear isn't an option, it's a way of life. So, although I'm pleased with how my pleated dress is shaping up so far, I probably won't get to wear it for months, and I'm determined that my next few projects should be more weather-appropriate.

Buying winter clothing that is both stylish and practical is tough, and sewing it is even tougher. But here are some of my ideas:



A wool jersey dress. This one, from the current BWOF might be a little edgy for me. But I'm a sucker for cowl-necks.

This skirt would look great in a medium-weight stretch wool. Gray would be practical. Although I would have to start tucking in my shirts. And since I have a bit of a tummy, I might want to consider adding boning to the waistband for additional structure.


Jeans. What I wear most, especially since I'm not teaching this year and can dress more casually. Inspired by Johanna's excellent series of posts, I'm considering using BurdaStyle Anita as a starting point. I've already bought denim (the sale was too good to resist), but I admit that I'm daunted by the alterations that will almost certainly be required to get the fit that I'm looking for.




Sweaters seem tricky to sew, but I'm hoping they'll prove more do-able now that I have a serger. The shawl collar sweater is Burdastyle Esther, and the belted cardigan is Jacket 119 from BWOF 12/2009.


Pleated wool trousers. I'm intrigued, but I'm also trepidatious, since I've never owned a single pair of pleated pants in my entire adult life. I think the key would be to go for a wide-leg style and use a heavier wool, to make sure all the volume looks intentional and the front doesn't get poochy. These are from BWOF 9/2007 via Miss Celie's Pants, but there are some similar styles in my 9/2009 Patrones.


And a swimsuit--since we're planning to escape the cold in January with a long weekend in Orlando. This pattern--Burdastyle Alison--must have been designed with me in mind. It has everything I look for in a swimsuit: a flattering neckline with lots of support for a fuller bust, and a style that is (comparatively) modest without being matronly. Even better, the pattern is a free download!