Oh, i was happy with this outfit! I wore it on the weekend, the fourth day of above 90 degree temps, for a fertin' round the house (sewing tomorrow's skirt) type of day. I love this skirt, but was a bit befuddled about how to wear it in a casual manner or in hot weather. It's made of a poly chiffon, and is too sheer and scritchy to wear on it's own. For some strange reason i had a mental block about wearing it with just a little silk half-slip and bare legs...........UNTIL NOW!I love the way it looks like a little black dress with the black lace tank. Very unfussy. Most of the day i just wore it with the Betsey Johnson belt and felt dressed and comfy. I just threw the hat on for the photo, it's one of Mr. E's vast collection.
I'm really drawn to the flexibility of separates that can be worn as a dress - either two pieces made from the same fabric expressly for that purpose, or separates that can be made to 'read' as a dress. I accidentally bought extra fabric for the skirt i was making the day i wore this posts' outfit (coming up tomorrow - can you tell i love how that skirt turned out?). It looks to be enough to make a simple shell. This will be the second time i've made this type of combo. The first was a copy of a combo featured in Vogue Patterns Magazine in the early 1980's. It comprised a circle skirt and camp shirt in a warm yellow tropical print. I ended up wearing the pieces separately much more than as a dress, mostly because i didn't have many occasions for wearing a dress but also since the dress option wasn't as flattering as i'd hoped. But the idea simmered in my mind ever since....
Any advice/experience/stories out there about the two piece dress?
Hat: Scala via Berkeley Hat Company
Tank: Jockey
Belt: Betsey Johnson
Skirt: own design (material spotted by Mr. E)
Big Toes: paternal side of family
