A DRESS OF MANY STRIPES

I’m usually not a fan of long-sleeved dresses. To me, they tend to look either juvenile, matronly, or 80s (or all three!). So when I came across a designer dress that was hip and warm I jumped at the chance to replicate it.

So yes, technically this dress is a knockoff of Wendy Mullin’s Weimar dress. Of course I made some changes to the design: full-length sleeves, a tighter fit in the top, and I rotated the skirt pattern so that the stripes would run vertically (this completely transformed the way the dress looked on me).

I used a thick white and navy jersey I got from JJ Fabrics in the Fashion District (JJ is Fabric Planet’s downtown location). I used 3 yards of material, although I could maybe do it in 2.

I’ve been so happy with this dress. On warmer days (the temperature’s been fluctuating like crazy in LA) I can wear it alone, but for colder days or evenings at the beach it’s great with leggings and a sweater. I’m looking forward to getting lots of use out of this.

I drew up a pattern as I made this dress, which is pretty straight-forward. The sleeves and the body of the top are one piece, with two pieces making the front. The skirt is just a 50″ rectangle of fabric sewn into a tube and gathered at the top with elastic, which is then sewn to the body.

I made another dress in a similar fabric for a NOLA friend, and I’m currently working on a plaid version for my boss/buddy in LA, so stay tuned for those.