Tag Archives: Parfait

Wearing Yesteryear: Class of September 2012

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Hi, everyone! It’s sure been a while and September has certainly flown on by, hasn’t it? If you follow me on Instagram (or just happen to check out my Instagram photos on the sidebar of this blog) you’ll see that I definitely have had sewing on the mind. I’ve finished my Sewaholic Minoru jacket – yay! – and just need to get it photographed. So happy with this one and can’t wait to share it with you. :)

Okay, so now on to the third installment of Wearing Yesteryear!

The First Impressions Dress

Blog Debut: September 5, 2012
Pattern: Parfait Dress by Colette Patterns
Worn In: Summer
Wearability Meter: Wearable when I’m feeling particularly summery
Lessons Learned: Colette Patterns fit me just right at the bust – hurrah! (though I could probably reshape the midriff piece ever so slightly to conform with my shape)

It seems odd to be featuring this very summery dress as we move into the cooler days of fall, but let’s do this. Well, if I’m being perfectly honest, I’m not 100% sold on this fabric and pattern match, but I do think it’s a very sweet dress. I fell for this Nani Iro double gauze the minute I saw it in L.A. and I think it’s one of those things where you fall in love with fabric but don’t quite think about how you’ll feel in it in the final dress.

That’s not to say I didn’t get some wear out of this dress. I wore it to work and out and about on a wooden house walking tour (check it out!) – particularly perfect on that day as it kept me cool. I’ve paired it with a navy cardigan for a bit of a different look too. I did remove the red buttons since it ended up being a little too cutesy for me.

Have you made this pattern? Thoughts? I’ve seen it made in corduroy and paired with a long sleeve shirt underneath for winter, but knowing me I’m unlikely to ever wear it that way. Still, it’s fun to see what others dream up!

Colette Parfait: The First Impressions Dress

Posted in 2012 Sewing, Finished Projects by

Today I’d like to share with you my latest dress creation, which I also contributed to the Sew Weekly last week for the “Literary Inspiration” challenge. To read more about how the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, inspired my colorful Parfait dress, you can read the post here!

I’ve called it “First Impressions” because the print reminds me a lot of Dorothy’s first glances at the magical land of Oz. I thought, once she returned home to “the gray, dry prairies” of Kansas, that she might have picked a colorful print such as this one to remind her of her adventures there.

As I said, this is the Parfait dress from Colette Patterns. It’s a great sundress and I managed to sneak it in over the last days of summer. I’m not crazy about wearing boots like most people I know – I think it should be sundress and sandals season all year long!

For this dress, I used this beautiful Japanese double gauze that I picked up a couple of years ago in Los Angeles at a now-closed store called Home Ec in Silver Lake (a shame, such a cute store). The birds and flowers have a watercolor look to them, and the fabric comes from the Nani Iro collection by Naomi Ito. I have the same fabric in a different colorway, though this is the first time I’ve worked with double gauze.

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