Tag Archives: Burda 7897

Today is Daffodil Day in Australia.
Like just about everyone, cancer has touched my life too.  I have lost family members and friends.  One close friend is a survivor.  It’s nice to have a reason to buy flowers.  I would feel outrageously self-indulgent if I were to buy myself flowers on any other day, but today it feels right.  These will sit in the kitchen and brighten up the day of everyone who sees them.  And most of the proceeds are going to a very good cause.
On a fashion note; this dress may well get the heave-ho after Self-Stitched September.  I still kind of like it, kind of don’t… love the colour but the weird bodice has always been a problem.  See how the model on the pattern envelope has her arm folded across her chest? ding ding ding ding! …   Something to bear in mind when checking out pattern photos in the future…  I’m sitting on the fence about this one… but for today it goes beautifully with my yellow scarf!

Details:
Dress; Burda 7897, dark olive green bamboo/cotton mix
Cardigan; Country Road
Belt; emu leather, don’t know brand
Scarf; d’lux, from Uggies
Tights; Metalicus
Booties; Django and Juliette, from Zomp shoes

Today was meeting friends for morning tea, and another friend for a walk later (and afternoon tea afterwards, no doubt!)  It’s a tough life.  My office work can wait until tonight, methinks… and it would be a crying shame to waste a beautiful day like today.  Of course if I said that every day I would get absolutely no work done whatsoever…! but meh.
This is the “Weird Bodice” dress from last winter, that I love for its flattering olive shade, flattering for me, that is; and cute flippy skirt, but has a strange bodice design that needs covering up.  I went for some cheerful happy colours to go on over the top.  I’ve always had a thing about red, and have always worn a lot of it.  I think it suits my hair colour.  This winter it seems to have dropped off the fashion radar, apart from the currently all-the-rage LRD (little red dress for evening wear).  The shops are filled with drab putty neutral shades, and the ubiquitous BLACK.  Seriously, I was out with a friend a week or so ago, and we passed a boutique where everything on the racks was black, and I mean everything.  It was a marvellous thing, well, it certain had us marvelling, but not in a good way.  Are Perthies so boring in our colour choices, that an all-black shop would stay happily in business?  (bearing in mind it was in a high-ish rent area too)  Bizarre…

Details:
Dress; Burda 7897, olive bamboo/cotton mix
Cardigan; Metalicus
Scarf; Frangi, from Tie-Rack
Tights; Kolotex
Shoes; Django and Juliette, from Zomp shoes
Bag; Gucci

Hilariously I started out this morning dressing with a view to wearing my suit jacket I’ve been talking about.  But it didn’t look as good over this dress as well as I’d envisioned in my head, and a few discarded variations later and with time running out before I had to be somewhere else I settled on this outfit; without the jacket!  Nuts!  I’ll have to put a bit more thought into an outfit next time, perhaps when I’ve got more time.  Been a bit hectically busy this morning (as obvious from my weird facial expression here, sorry).
This dress is a favourite from last winter, made using Burda 7897 and out of some lovely fabric that is a mix of bamboo and cotton.  This pattern is now discontinued, and I’m not surprised.  The bodice is … funny.  I should have got a clue when the photograph on the pattern envelope depicts the model with her arm folded firmly in front of her chest, I suspect now to disguise the … funny … bodice.  Actually I love this dress, in spite of the bodice.  It’s nice and warm (because I lined it fully) and I love it’s dark olive green/grey colour.  It’s a smudgy muddy colour that goes well with so many brights and other winter shades.  I always wear it with something over the front though, hiding that “funny” bodice…
I also made the skinny self fabric belt using a buckle I picked up in an op shop.
I totally love these Metalicus tights (and am so glad I got them before the self-imposed Wardrobe Refashion shutdown on shopping!)  I’ve worn the navy ones a few times and this is the first time this winter I’ve worn these mossy olive green ones.  Love!  Actually I’ve been playing with the idea of making my own tights… got some fabric and I’ll keep you posted…
Today’s random picture below, I think this little fellow thought I might feed him, he came right up beside me!

Details:
Dress; Burda 7897, olive green bamboo/cotton
Scarf; Alta Linea, a gift
Tights; Metalicus
Boots; Andrea and Joen, from Uggies in Dunsborough

I made this dress for last winter from Burda 7897 from a dark olive green bamboo/cotton mix fabric from Fabulous Fabrics.  It was a pretty good basic dress that I wore a lot, but the bodice was a bit weird and I always ended up wearing a scarf or stole over it as I am for this picture.  I’m not sure why it was such a flop; literally, as well as metaphorically.  Maybe it was designed for a big-busted woman, but even if so the bodice wasn’t too big for me, just sort of baggy and drape-y in an unattractive way, as you can see in the picture sans stole which I included for honesty’s sake.  
As for the rest of the dress; I liked the flippy nature of the skirt, and the length and simple style of the sleeves, the pattern for which I’ve used in several other dresses and blouses.  I also decided that I wanted to line the whole dress with bemsilk for warmth, the provision for which wasn’t in the pattern instructions.  However I plowed ahead anyway, and eventually managed to get it together with a lining, this really improved its wearability in winter.
I may make this pattern up again, but I would modify the bodice drastically if I did.  I’m not sure how, but I’ll have to get to work on Bessie one day with some fabric scraps and sort something out.  I think it would look a whole lot better if it was a bit more fitted up top.
Keep you posted…

I wore this to a casual cocktail party last night with my new shoes from Iceland which I am totally in love with.  In fact I am planning most of my future autumn and winter wardrobe around colour schemes in honour of these shoes, that’s how much I love them!

Other details:
Stole; d/lux, from Calico and Ivy
Belt; emu leather, bought from Luxe
Shoes; KronKron, from Iceland, bought online