So about 18 months ago I found a Russian site on Etsy that purported to sell actual designer fabric. I bought some D&G playing card fabric off it, that while absolutely lovely for what I used it for (This very simple skirt here) I wasn’t sure quite how authentic the fabric was. However when I saw they had panels of jersey with an art nouveau print of a late 19th century play bill for the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta Iolanthe, I took the risk again and bought the four they had left.
When they turned up I’ve got to say it was the nicest quality jersey I have ever seen and I wanted to be very careful with what I did with it. On the one hand I wanted to show off the print, but on the other I wanted something a bit fairyish to complement it (one day I will grow up and stop seeing themed dresses as cool, but that day is not today). So I sat on it for a few months (not literally) until I had finished my Strawberry Thief dress and realised that actually exactly the same pattern (a Kitschycoo patterns lady skater dress with an elongated skirt and added bell sleeves) would look quite elegant with this fabric.
So I made it in about March when there was still snow on the ground…… and absolutely hated it!
It looked nice enough on the hanger….
But every attempt I made to accessorise it for winter looked horrific…..
With white leggings and a white thermal- basically just nope!
But as the temperatures rose I acquired a pair of khaki jeggings from Evans * and a couple of friends persuaded me to give it a try again.
So I did, & was over the moon with how it looks….
So I wouldn’t say I’ve worn it a lot since then, but it has become part of my summer wardrobe, & I was feeling the love for it enough that it was what I wore on the second day of Fantasy Forest Festival, a new fantasy themed festival at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire that I went to in July. (Whet I wore for the first day is coming up and is truly spectacular if I do say so myself)
Pictures taken in my parents garden before setting out for the day.
It goes through the washing machine and dryer very nicely, and although I don’t wear it often it’s something I am quite happy with now.
I’m still not sure the colour scheme is me though. I don’t really feel comfortable in lemon yellow, & I’m really not sure that the paler cream band round the waist is in any way flattering on someone whose stomach bulges outwards. But I absolutely love the fabric, & despite my reservations I expect I’ll get a bit of use out of it anyway.
* incidentally it’s one of those things you don’t think of when you are thin. It is virtually impossible to get cool coloured leggings and tights if you are plus size. When I was looking for these leggings I found endless pairs of lovely ones on Asos and marks and Spencer but were there any in my size? Hell no! So in the end jeggings has to do as they were the nearest I could get. I still haven’t been able to track down a plus size khaki long sleeve top or thermal!
euphoricstimuli 