One Dress, Two Dress, Green Dress, Blue Dress

Actually I made the blue dress before the green, but the rhyme just didn't work quite as well. Both of these dresses are based on Karin from Ancien Nouveau's cowl dress/cowl top pattern, which you can download for free from BurdaStyle (where Karin is known as Ichigogirl).

This blue fabric has a bit of sheen to it, making it feel a somewhat dressy. The fabric is thin which makes it quite clingy and revealing of anatomical details. I recently wore this dress to a coworker's wedding (bride and groom obsessed with blue). I did add a cardigan both because I was a little nervous about degree to which the dress "showed off" my figure and because it was a brisk, chilly day.

The green dress is a thicker, softer cotton knit. It smooths over body topography a little better, but doesn't recover as well as I would like. After a couple hours of wear it starts to feel a little stretched out. I've worn this dress out to eat a couple of times (including for my birthday) and gotten compliments. It is very comfortable and easy to wear. I'm normally more drawn to neutrals and dark colors, but I've been having fun adding a bit more color to my wardrobe. My husband picked out the blue and I kept getting pulled back by the green, even though it was not at all what I originally had in mind.

I think I added about six inches to the length to accommodate my height. I also didn't want these particular versions to be as short as Karin's, although I plan to use this pattern in a variety of lengths in the future. I'm still trying to figure out what skirt lengths are most flattering on me. I feel frumpy in things that hit below the knee, but I am starting to feel like I can't pull off showing too much leg above the knee anymore. I love really long skirts, but still can't quite nail down that shorter skirt sweet spot.

I also added several inches to the hips...because I need to. I could work on perfecting the fit a little more, especially in the back (which I don't have pics of...sorry). I'm finding that I may need to make sway back adjustments. I never suspected that because I have a really flat butt. It is pretty much a straight line down from my back (even without much for seat padding my hip measurement is generally two sizes larger than the rest of my measurements...it's all in the width), but I guess my shoulders do stick way out in the back (at least partly due to poor posture).

Overall I am pleased with both dresses. They were very easy to make up, fun to wear, and fit into the simple, classic style that I like so much.