Flight back was fine; empty plane, plenty with me to read, and my only disappointment was that the in-flight movie, advertised as "Ocean's Thirteen" (I love a good — or even a bad — heist movie) was, in fact, "Hairspray" — which, fine, nice dresses. But. Whoa. I am sooooo jetlagged — woke up at 5 this morning, feeling as if it were noon. Ulp.
But I have managed, at least, to open my mail to find this pattern, which I ordered before I left (from eBay seller Treasure from Galilee Shore):
If you look at view D you can see those are FRENCH CUFFS. And on view A, yes, that is a bias placket. This is a serious dress, requiring much contemplation and selfless dedication. And serious interfacing, which I'm not much for using, but this needs it, the good stuff.
Needless to say, if I can master this pattern I might make this one over and over, forever. This dress never goes out of style (not that 'going out of style' is something I usually consider, but …) and it fits with my cardigan-and-penny-loafer lifestyle.
I'm pretty set on the full-skirted version (for better inclusion of pockets) but the perfectly coordinated woman in fuchsia is very, very tempting. She has fuchsia shoes; *I* have fuchsia shoes (and four yards of fuchsia shantung) … I don't have the hat, although I do have pink eyeglasses. Think that will do?
A Dress A Day 
I love this pattern. Something I would definitely make myself, and bother to wear. I don’t have many dresses, and only one I would wear regularly – yes, I could hear your gasp of horror from here :)I may have to keep an eye out for a copy in my size.
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This always makes me think of the awesome costuming in “Down With Love” I wish I dressed like that – as I lay here in my Old Navy and Yoga pants. Sigh.
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I don’t have the hat…but you probably know a knitter or two who would be willing to knit and felt a lovely matching cloche for you.Just sayin’.
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Yes! I vote for fuchsia. Even tough I’m usually drawn to full skirts, she does look awfully splendid in that pink. Good enough, even, to make me reconsider my whole outlook on the thin lines of narrow skirts. You might even have enough fabric left over to make a hat. Maybe not the same hat, but a hat nonetheless. With winter nipping at us so fiercely, it would be nice to have the warmth of silk on your head. …and: Pink eyeglasses! I am very jealous.
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Erin,You should make it in the pink for one of those days you are channelling Professor Umbridge. Everyone needs to be evil once in a while!Linda
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Living in Kansas, I’ve pretty much given up on anything fuller than an A-line for daily wear. The world does not need to see my underwear, thanks. So yes, I fully support an attempt of View C.
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OK, so on a recent trip someone was extolling the virtues of some substance that cures jet lag. It’s a suppliment that you get at healthfood/nutrition-type stores and you take it when you’re ready to go to bed. Supposedly (based on this rather obscure recommendation) it knocks you out and resets your clock.Wouldn’t it be ever so helpful if I could remember what this stuff was called?? Starts with an “M”. Maybe someone will know.
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Beangirl — I’m pretty sure you mean melatonin. Which I should try. I think I bought a bottle once but by the time I flew overseas again it had expired. Oops.K — hmm. A felted hat you say? :-)My cures so far: reading email (ineffective); Diet Coke (not as effective as you would think); eating remainder of packet of Milk Choc Hob Nobs (before they ‘go stale’; completely counterproductive).
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beangirl: it’s melatonin. I have never tried it, tho.
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Melatonin.
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hey, if you can make the dress you can make the hat
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There is a risk you could end up channelling your inner Lady Penelope (thunderbirds are Go!) and I hate pink (but you knew that, right) however… SYTLE! And the possibility to make a matching hat. Nothing to lose.Only thing I’m not sure about with that style is the possibility that the button placket would buckle unattractively below the belt when you sit down. Especially if it has the good interfacing.French cuffs – cufflinks! My Mum has a great collection of cufflinks, even a pair with little clocks on, so to complete the outfit you need a pair of pink robot cufflinks. :-)Cheers,AJ
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Speaking of your “cardigan lifestyle” — have you ever posted a roundup of places to look for fitted cardigans? There’s currently a nice one at J.Crew, though I’m finding it very irritating that it’s (I think) $86. Grr. The one I bought was on deep discount, and thus justifiable. I’d love more sources!
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I made a dress very similar to view A for my mother when I was in high school (early 60s). I think it was Butterick (sp?) tho. She wore only house dresses and was very uncomfortable the first time she wore jeans around the house a few years later. I’m not sure if I would welcome women wearing house dresses today, but the women did look nice in their dresses doing their housework.I saw “Hairspray” on Thanksgiving day when I went to my sister’s house. One thing I liked and remembered from h.s. was the pleated skirt where the fabric was pleated so one color was on top and when you walked the other came into view (it was yellow and black in the movie). I always wanted one in my day that was turqoise blue with a lavender color “peaking through” but I could never afford them back then.Linda
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hmm I don’t know the pink version looks a bit to much like a flight attendant’s outfit for my taste (or perhaps it’s just because you were talking about planes, got me thinking about them…)Yarnivore: I’m gonna reccoment thrift stores (that’s the only plce I shop basically) but they often have a good selection of both dresses and cardigans, and will always be affordable.
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Yarnivore — I am a huge fan of Land’s End for cardigans, but, be aware I order a PETITE S or XS — they run BIG. I like them because the Petite is exactly the right length shoulder to hip, and because they usually go on clearance to $19 at the end of each season. And they wash well.
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I have a stupid question related to the fuchsia silk: what is the difference between shantung and dupioni? I get the impression that shantung is softer/dupioni stiffer. Is that right?
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I’d really like to see fuchsia girl switch shoes with teal girl. Fuchsia and deep peacock blue would look fabulous together!
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You have fuscia shantung? What the hell are you waiting for? Time’s a wastin’. Trust the interfacing. This really is a fab dress, every view. No hat, go with a wide headband.
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Fantastic pattern and I love the idea of the fuschia shantung. Although I did read ‘pink eyeglasses’ as ‘pink eyeLASHES’ at first, which I also thought would be great, if a small step further along the colour-scheme-outfit path than I would be willing to take.
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Also, how on earth do you pronounce ‘dupioni’?
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I have a fitted cardigan made by the brand “Tweeds”. It claims to be made of shetland wool and has the hairy yet springy yet soft texture that commercial shetland knitting yarn has. The yarns used all seem to be normal shetland sheep colors (yay!), and it has a zipper. Usually I hate zippers on sweaters, but they did a very interesting neckline treatment that keeps the zipper properly stable without destroying the stretch. It appears to be a k1 p1 ribbed hem to fully enclose all the edge stitches for the neckline and front edge. The body of the sweater is knit in something that appears to be shaker rib crossed with a waffle stitch.All the details of this sweater scream “expensive”. I have had *no* luck finding anything more about the brand online, so I intend to knit myself a clone of it.
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Isn’t it pronounced Doo pea own ee?I was immediately drawn to the fuschia dress. I love how full dresses look on OTHER women and I prefer how I look and feel in wiggle dresses. I am sure we could find you a hat pattern.
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Previous commenters are right on, I want to see it the straight skirt; I had a pumpkin colored “Villager” dress similar to this that I wore to death.The headband and the peacock colored shoes are working for me. If you really want a hat, I blush to tell you that during the Jackie Kennedy era we made matching pillbox hats thus: cut off the bottom of a plastic clorox jug to the depth you wish for your pillbox and cover it to match the dress. I had more than one of these, and with pink glasses and the fushia dress–you gotta make it. Re: jet lag–dis you consider…sleep??
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Oh, it’ll do alright.I can’t wait to see it when it’s done!
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Fuschia shoes, fuschia dress (use good interfacing, not stiff), pink eyeglasses, and a Clorox/pillbox fuschia hat???? Wonderful. This pattern reminds me so much of the pattern I once had. I made it until the tissue fell apart, I loved it so much. Wish I still had it.
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Shirtwaist dresses rule!
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do-pea-oh-knee
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I say, full skirt in fuchsia.The Clorox pillbox hat sounds fun! Just make sure to rinse all the chorine away before you work with it!I’d make View A, myself. I love the plaid version. I think for me, I’d make it in plaid; maybe in a nice warm teal, like that one.
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Is a shirtwaist dress just a shirtwaist with a skirt attached?
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Go go with the fuchsia! 🙂 Can’t wait to see it. And that’s a very cool pattern- good find
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Pink eyeglasses would be a great addition to the fushia dress but you could make the hat as well.
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Emily:I was a huge consumer of Tweeds clothes when I was in college 15 years ago–I absolutely loved their sweaters. But I think they went out of business a long time ago. Sad…I personally can’t stand Land’s End’s clothes anymore. Once they got bought out by Sears, their vanity sizing got out of hand and their quality went out the door. Shame… So I also would like to know where to find nice wool cardigans.Erin: Fuchsia all the way–yes! yes! Be brave, interfacing just takes a little more time, that’s all. And it makes those plackets turn out so nice.Melatonin works great if you want to speed up the process of becoming un-jet-lagged–and you don’t have any other health issues. You can buy 1 mg tabs you let dissolve under your tongue–take one when you would usually start to feel sleepy. Worked like a charm for me when I came home from Taiwan. Kicked the jet lag in less than 2 days. Just my two cents. Happy sleeping.
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Cardigans…Appleseeds has a cable shetland cardigan in some great colors. It’s very warm so you North country gals will like it. try the on line catalog. Also, Erin, I love the dress here. I bought two different 60’s shirtwaists and was dreaming of a nice madras one…a nice oxford cloth one and maybe even a seersucker one for old times sake.Marguerite
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The clorox hat has me going…somebody make one and send a picture of the beast to Erin to post. It would totally make my day.
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All the moms wore version A of this dress when I was a girl, and this is exactly what I have been looking for. I LOVE the blouse with the turned up cuff!! I will have to start a hunt for this pattern in my size(repeat after me hahahahahahaha).
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And I’m not really anonymous.
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I was seeking reassurance that a shirtdress basically is just a shirtwaist with a skirt attached, because I have Vogue 3015, a blouse pattern from the same era as today’s Vogue 5380 dress. But on my pattern, “Vogue” is typeset in large black italic face across the top. It also says “Basic Proportioned Blouses”, which are for “short, average and tall figure heights”. It offers long sleeves and 3/4 sleeves, both of which may have French cuffs (but I’m not sure what those are!) And above-elbow sleeves with a rolled-up cuff, and sleeveless. One of its collar options is of the style on the 5380 dress. The blouses don’t have the placket, though, and they only have French darts (no vertical ones), but that’s easy enough to fix. All I’d have to do is add a skirt … but my Size 12 is for B32, and I need at least B34 for the upper chest and then an FBA to go with it, so. But, still. adding a skirt should be the easy part! I’ve always loved the 3015 pattern, and it’s great seeing the 5380 dress version!
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ooh ooh ooh I have this pattern! I was going to make D but I forgot about it. Might have to dig it out. And face my fear of buttonholes…
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