me-made may: tentatively tropical

If you’re me, as some of us lucky ones are, you desperately fear being ordinary. Naturally, you want to change up your photo spots once in a while. So you get all dolled up in a ’40s-style number and a favorite hat, you strap on your gear, and you shoot an entire blog post in a new location. And then, on the journey home, you walk past the old standby – and you take a deep breath and reshoot the whole thing. I know you’ve seen this particular wall ad goddamn nauseam, but some things are staples for a reason. The light is never short of lovely here. Don’t mess with perfection, and don’t go with a hippie to a second location.

Me-Made May 2017 is in full swing. I bought this gorgeous silk over the weekend from a local fabric vendor who was cleaning out her stash. The dress was finished by Monday. The lesson here: take your Adderall late in the day. I’ve mentioned over the past few months that I’m longing for ’30s and ’40s styles; this was my second-ever success at fashioning one myself. I tend to default to ’50s in my sewing because it’s so easy, but the challenge of perfecting neckline pleats and bias cuts is well, well worth it.

I cut the bodice pieces from Simplicity 35C 3884, but I totally improvised on the construction. The diagonal skirt pleats and the center gather in the bodice are all me. Sewing is a felt sense so much of the time, and it usually has me holding my breath, but I’m really happy with how this turned out. The bodice is just blousy enough, which is usually one of my biggest challenges. I go either skintight or positively tented. I’m not even sure what I did right with this one. Let’s hope it’s not a fluke.