If deciding which of the fabrics was hard, it was even harder to decide what to actually make. My friend Sophie invited me to her wedding over a year ago so I have had plenty of time to think about what to wear! But of course I left it to the last minute. Nothing like a lot of pressure to get things done!
I have recently been admiring friends who have worn separate pieces to weddings and thought that this would be a great opportunity to try this look out. I really love the darts on the By Hand London Elisalex skirt as they are easy to adjust to fit, and the shape is great, especially since they updated the pattern at the end of last year. I have also wanted to make the Ogden Cami from True Bias for a while, and thought that they would be a good match.
I had originally planned to make the whole Elisalex dress as I have made it before and loved the result, but I wasn't really in the mood for all of the adjustments that I need to make in the bust and waist areas. This is another reason that I left this whole outfit to the last minute - my weight has fluctuated a bit in recent months so I didn't want to spend a lot of time making something that ultimately would not fit and feel right when wearing it.
The skirt is simply the skirt part of the dress pattern. The darts on the front are a bit narrower (by half an inch or so) than the pattern suggests as it was a little snug around the front. I made a quick muslin out of some lining fabric to check the fit. Following this, I did a small adjustment to the flat pattern before cutting my main fabric. It's quite hard to describe it well... but I took a diagonal chunk out of the front pattern piece down the middle, so that the fabric hangs straight rather than curving out around my knees. Maybe I could call it a small knee adjustment? This is something that I have found with other pencil skirt type patterns and will definitely try it again. I only took out an inch at the bottom but it made a huge difference without the excess fabric!
I also took the side seams in by an inch from the hip downwards as my waist and hip measurements aren't as different as the body shape that the pattern is designed for. I also lined the skirt as the weave on the fabric is on the looser side. I made a simple straight waistband and put in an invisible zipper at the back. I *should* have used some facing on the waistband but I forgot to! This was mainly down to the fact that I couldn't decide which colour Ogden to make so made two, and I had to finish off the wedding present that I was making! I was also doing all of this during one of our busiest weeks of the year at work when all of our new students were registering for their fall classes! Oopsy.
I made one Ogden in a really light cream cotton rayon and one in a black rayon twill. The cream is from Dressew in Vancouver, and the black was in my stash from a trip to Portland a couple of years ago. I shortened the straps by 2 inches as on the test version I made, as you could see my bra at the back and arms. When I make this pattern again, I may just shorten them by 1.5 inches instead. I was also really naughty and didn't hem either top properly: I just serged them because I don't think I'll ever wear either top not tucked in. I may regret this in the future but I can always hem them at a later date! I have read that lots of other makers have often struggled to remember which side is the front and which is the back so I made a couple of tags with plain twill type so that I can quickly see which side is which.
In the end I opted for the black cami with the skirt and I'm really happy that I did. I loved wearing this outfit and will definitely wear it again next time I go somewhere fancy. It was perfect for sipping cocktails, had enough room for the buffet and was great for dancing! We had a fantastic time at the wedding. It was in Whistler, BC, and the weather was stunning. It was nice to get out of the city over the long weekend.
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