At the end of last fall I was really excited about sewing knit dresses. Until I realized that sitting around wearing knit dresses a lot meant I’d gained a few pounds and hadn’t even noticed. Whoops! So that kind of soured me on them for awhile. But there’s one I never shared that has a great print, and I felt like busting it out recently since I don’t know about you, but I could use a bit of fun in the dark days of winter. And this dress is certainly fun!
This dress is a Lady Skater and Moneta dress mashup. My galaxy dress was too, but this one was its predecessor. I tinkered with the neckline in the front and it came out a little high, so when I made it I preferred to wear it backwards. Although I noticed this time it didn’t bother me, so I’m wearing it the right way round.
I really don’t have much to say about this dress since the construction was straightforwardish—Lady Skater sleeves, Lady Skater armholes going down to the bodice shaping of Moneta, and Moneta skirt. I love how much more carefree altering a knits pattern can be if it’s a basic enough shape. But the fabric, that’s something to talk about! It’s a Lillestoff organic cotton jersey. If you’ve never seen their prints, they’re wonderful, and the quality of the fabric is, too.
My dress is covered in the seven dwarves carrying around Snow White in a glass casket. Yes, seriously.
Is that not an insane idea for fabric?! And presumably it was meant more for children’s items than for adults (as I suspect many of their prints are). Even more ludicrous. What it says about me that I saw it and thought, “Oh yeah, I want a dress out of that!”, I have no idea.
A little petticoat under a knit dress is a nice way to give it a bit of fullness, just like you might do under a woven dress. In the photo below you can see it peeking out because I didn’t pin it up very well (it was a bit longer than my dress). Doh.
Before I forget, I should mention this is the last time you’ll see me with red hair. Much as I love it, there were several things I didn’t love about it, not the least of which was getting horrible roots at only 4 weeks out when I was still 2 weeks out from a touch up (and no way me or my pocket book could stomach going more frequently than 6 weeks)… not liking the color with my skin tone in artificial light… and not being able to use our amazing rain head in the shower because I only washed my red hair in cold water and then kept it out of the water for the rest of the time to help preserve the color (and standing under a rain head in a shower cap is like being under a metal roof in the rain). By the way, that cold water thing was a gigantic help, as the one day I didn’t do that was the day before going back to black, and the fading was noticeable whereas it never was before!
It was a blast being a redhead but I always knew I wouldn’t want to keep it up forever, so the tides have turned and I’ve gone back to black. If you follow me on Instagram, you saw a look at my new locks last week. Fortunately, it’s another hair color I really like! And as a bonus, I’ll be able to wear pink closer to my face again, and I always start to want to wear pink at the end of winter when spring is approaching. So with bright pink lipstick (although I admit, red still looks better on me, but pink is fun now and again), new pink shoes and a pink purse, I’ll kiss the red a very fond good bye and enjoy the darker side once again.
Anyway, back to the dress. I adore the print but have to admit that as soon as I finished this dress, I was kind of over it for awhile. I usually go in phases on the types of prints I love. Last fall it was lots of cute and ridiculous prints, and really bright combinations of colors and textures. And I think some of that was starting to wane by the time I finished this dress, so I haven’t pulled it out since last year.
Now being the part of winter where it feels like it will neeeever eeeend, my mind is totally full of colorful florals, stripes, and lots of pastel shades that remind me of the spring weather to come… eventually.
I may be in a string of coat projects (although I’ll probably take some time between each because yowza), but I’m totally plotting out things for spring in the back of my mind! How about you? Any colors or prints particularly on your mind lately? Are you already thinking about your spring wardrobe like I am??
outfit details
dress: made by me
cashmere cardigan: Boden
resin brooch: MerriWeather
confetti lucite earrings: Desperate Beatnik
shoes: courtesy of Sven Clogs
vintage belt: can’t recall
You’re not alone in the slightest – I would so wear a dress in that quirky, slightly macabre (in a good, fairy tale kind of way), totally adorable fabric, too.
It’s been marvelous having you on “team ginger”, dear Tasha, but you know, I keep getting the urge to deflect (if only for a while) myself and might join you on the raven side of things for the first time in truly ages at some point this year (we’ll see! :)).
♥ Jessica
That is brilliantly crazy fabric. I like the idea of wearing a petticoat underneath to make the outfit look a bit smarter too.
I feel the same about my Monetas, too. I now keep them for times when I’m sick or traveling. It’s nice to look put together, yet comfortable.
Wearing a petticoat under a knit dress is a cute idea. It really looks great.
That fabric is seriously amazing! And that’s a really cute hairstyle for you 🙂
I completely forgot about that fabric!!! Did you ever show me that dress when it was finished? I can’t remember… anyways, it’s SO FREAKING CUTE!!! I really need to make some knit things ASAP. I’m getting so sick of fitting wovens lol
As much as you look completely amazing as a redhead, the black hair looks stunning in a way that makes me want to slap the pretty right off your face 😛 😉 Black hair and blue eyes is so striking!! <3
xo
That fabric is KILLING me! And I agree with Rochelle New, black hair and blue eyes is just so pretty/striking.
Me acabo de enamorar! Precioso.
I love that print and would so wear it too, even at my age. I just love quirky things like that.
I love your red hair but I totally get that you don’t want to visit the salon so often and the black looks great with your blue eyes like Rochelle and Sandra said
That is a beautiful dress and looks fab on your gorgeous self! The print is wonderful. Have you seen their Rapunzel print? It’s barking mad too…but in a good way of course. I am fond of a quirky print.
x
I don’t usually go for the really cutesy prints, but I just about died over this one. It’s just so fun! I think you made a good choice going for black accessories – it kind of tones it down a little bit, and also kind of works thematically since there’s a sort-of dead girl all over your dress. It might not be the thing you want to pull out of your closet every day, but It seems like it would be just the thing to liven up certain days.
love that fabric and the accessorising. I think your hair looks great in the pictures, but red maintenance can be a pain. I used to colour mine myself, but nobody is making a copper I like anymore – what has the world got against gingers?!
I love the kooky fabric and your playful dress! Perfect shape for showing off the fabric. 🙂
That dress is seriously adorable!! And with the brooch? I love it!
Oooh lovely! I know what you mean about not noticing the weight gain with knit dresses… I certainly got a shock when I put on my favourite trousers the other day!
I cannot wait for some warmer weather, I’m so excited about wearing bright florals and pastel cotton prints!
x
I think the print is really cool, so maybe I’m just a nerd too? I hated having red hair. It was so tricky dressing myself, all these colors didn’t work anymore.
I’m trying to force myself to just sew up that LOLA ALREADY, but really all I want to do is bust out all my summer and spring patterns.
That is really cute! Oh yes, how I long for spring… I just want to sew with Hawaii and tiki fabrics at the moment but I still have to wear my long skiing underwear so not even close to spring here yet…
I live in Seattle, and that same ridge of high pressure that has been makjng everyone in the mudwest and east so blizzardy this week has given us early spring. I’m talking 60 and sunny on Valentine’s Day. Wow! I love the break from our dreary, rainy, not-cold-enough-for-snow-but-too-cold-for-fun weather, but I know it won’t last, and I feel like I will be twice as depressed about the weather when it goes back to rain next week. Waahh!
My personal wish is that winter would only be one month, and that we could give an extra month each to spring and summer. February is the worst, which is why it has the fewest days!
I also love your dress. I am currently pregnant, and so I am wearing almost no clothes that aren’t knit right now. My gauge on how big I’m getting is how many buttons on my winter coat I can still button -down to 2!
Anything fairy tale is totally catnip to me. I love the contrast of one of the more macabre elements of Snow White being super cartoony too. But the color palette is so nice! I just love this outfit, and am glad you got it photoed as a redhead. Ever winning, that’s you!
I love this dress, the fabric, and everything about it. I love cute prints, and I am not worry if they are designed for children.
I’m not a big fan of winter clothes, so of couse I am thinking about my sping/summer wardrobe.
Love it! I really like the detailing on the belt as well. It was nice to see Merriweather’s work on someone. I found her on a whim on Etsy and she didn’t have many sales. I asked her to make our custom Bombshell pins for the honor flight and we just love them. I even bought a nose art bomb because it was too awesome to pass up.
Hope to see you at the vintage clothing expo next Saturday.
Seriously awesome dress! The perfect balance of comfortable and crazy 😀
I’m prone to wanting to make clothing out of kiddy-type patterns too. My first dress last year was a tractor print, probably more geared towards curtains or cushions for a little boys room, not a sassy Elisalex dress, but I bloody love it!
I wish you could teach me to sew! I’d love to make beautiful things like this. You are so talented. 🙂
This is so cute! I would wear it every day! And you’re so cute in it!
This print! I still haven’t set about my resolution of sewing knits yet, but everything you whip up makes me all the more raring to give it a go Tasha!
And though you’re no longer team ginger, I’ll bet your new color looks awesome, 🙂 ❤
xox,
bonita of Lavender & Twill
Such a cool dress Tasha! At first glance I could have sworn it was a woven number, but it’s great to see jersey looking so good :o)
Seeing you with red hair today has almost made me want to go back to red. I dyed it every box in the drugstore during my teens and early twenties, but I’ve begun to notice grays which means I’ve only got a limited time to enjoy my natural color before I will be dying it for realsies. The funny thing is that my hair tends to grab onto red and even if I want to go brown or blonde I need to make sure it’s labeled “cool” and has the word “ash” in the name otherwise it looks red on me. I never had to do anything special to keep my color either.