March | 2014 | Cuckoo Chanel

I’ve been wanting to make a real DVF-wannabe wrap forEVer, but just never have yet. I’ve made a few fauxs that I quite like, and a crapola one a couple of years ago that I hated (A broadcloth wrap. Really? I was too much of a newbie to know to stop when I realized it wasn’t knit! And had ugly built-in pleats!).

Only problem with the fauxs is that if you don’t sew the bodice well, you are forever stuck with a possibly permanent peek-a-boo neckline.

Whoopsy. Good thing this was vacation and not the office.

So anyway, now you can’t throw a rock without hitting a blogoddess in a wrap dress, especially in light of its 40th anniversary and its prominence in the movie “American Hustle”; but they’re all so beautiful and flattering. And with a tied wrap you can go from mega modest to full Amy Adams. Love it.

I finally paired a REAL knit wrap dress pattern, Vogue 8379, with some appropriate fabric (yet another onion skin knit–I must have hit that fabric.com sale HARD) and realized there were no instructions. I’m sure I lost them since I have a bad habit of taking pattern instructions to bed (which is really stupid because it just makes me excited and I can’t sleep). It was super easy to put together sans instructions, especially when I took a cue from the beautiful Aleah from no time to sew and left off the collar.

When I finished this happy little garment it was of course still mid-winter and required much layering. It was meant to be a second Jungle January garment, but unfortunately I am in New Jersey and not a nice sultry jungle.

Meh. Wrap with turtleneck not hot.

It took a few months to get to wear it outside, at a lake in Pennsylvania with my new best friend, my tripod. This was March 23 mind you. Looks like January for crying out loud!

Passes the modesty test:

I have no idea what this pose is. Just having too much tripod fun I imagine.

Here’s a little Band for ya, but you can sing Wrap Mama Wrap instead of Rag Mama Rag. Levon would have been fine with that I’m sure.

Peace, love, and much happy spring sewing!! And make a wrap dress. You’ll like it. It’s good for you.
Shelley

This winter has been relentless, as we all know, so I really needed more leg coverage, and was dying to cheer myself up with the plaid in my stash. Time for some MORE Colette Clovers, since clearly I’d rather make pants than lose weight and actually fit into the perfectly decent trousers already in my wardrobe. One pair was made out of this brilliantly loud pink on black, shown here during the first fitting after being painstakingly cut and matched

I have worn these bad boys shamelessly all winter. Here they are in action captured with my new tripod against the snowy Lake Quinn, PA background.

The other print is more subtle but I love the colors.

LOVE these paired with my nummy Renfrew top.

Bum fit is good.

Warmin’ up by the fire.

After all this fun and frivolity, it’s time for Honesty Corner. I almost wanted to title this post “It’s The Fabric, Stupid”, because realistically these trousers have sort of been nothing but trouble. Both fabrics are super cheap and flimsy, and stick viciously to tights and socks, so they’re always bunched around the calf. Plus they stretch out in the course of the day so only look decent in the morning. I also didn’t finish the edges very well so the pink and black ones are falling apart (I had to Photoshop out one of the rips!) It’s definitely not the pattern because my first two Clovers are a dream and have none of these issues.

Even with these issues, I’m WAY glad I made these. I can always use the experience with Clover construction, and having them in my pant rotation got me through this shitty winter, even with the bagginess and other quirks. Plus, I plaid-matched like a pro, if I do say so myself!

In other plaid heaven, check out these lovelies:

The goddess Goodbye Valentino and her brilliant refashion http://goodbyevalentino.com/2013/11/24/wearing-the-pants/ AND a fab peplum top http://goodbyevalentino.com/2014/03/20/the-plaid-peplum-b-5615/

Scads of plaids and other goodies from Meg http://megthegrand.blogspot.com/2014/02/me-made-2014-rounding-out-january-and.html

Aleksandra’s brilliant Archers http://liveaboardtakesthesuburbs.blogspot.com/2014/02/things-ive-sewn-lately-plaid-on-plaid.html

And this amazing guy I spotted while on vacation in Rouen, France.