Why a pale pink skirt,
I hear you cry?
why not a pale pink skirt,
is my reply.
Poetry. Nailed it.
Sorry. I’m in a silly mood and obviously having trouble thinking of intelligent-sounding stuff to write…
Ok. So, at the beginning of the year I pledged to sew five items from my vintage patterns… this latest effort is my first; woot!
The pattern is Vogue 1384, a 1984 Issey Miyake design. 30 years old is pretty “vintage” yeah? yup I reckon so.
I’m slightly amused at myself that I signed up actually since a few years ago I was so allergic to the very word “vintage” and could not hear it without an involuntary eye roll. I was like, o gawd, so done-to-death!! I should say I wasn’t against any thing vintage, in itself, in fact I love antiques, and old things. It was just the word “vintage”. Hehehe. I must be mellowing somewhat.
Anyhoo, back to The Thing: my cool new skirt. Or should I say, my skirt of a very very cool design. As we can usually expect from Issey Miyake, it a quite unique, intriguing and interesting approach to a skirt; being a few oddly shaped rectangles cut, spliced and resewn together at seemingly random places, and boom; you end up with an asymmetric skirt. Fabulousity!
I know, and I agree; creations made from “vintage” patterns can be a little annoying to read about on blogs, thanks to the patterns being so rare and hard to come by. Not very helpful; and sorta inspirational rather than aspirational. I’m sorry!
I used a heavenly soft pink poly crepe from Fabulous Fabrics, the same fabric I used for my other Sea Change top. So the two make another matching skirt/top set, should I desire to wear them together. But I think it will go with lots of other tops in my wardrobe too.
The pink poly crepe is on the sheer side, so I lined my skirt with ivory polyacetate fabric. I managed to cut the lining as just one piece: I worked out how to do this after sewing the skirt pieces together and could see how the skirt “worked”, so to speak. I spliced the skirt pieces together at the relevent joining points and marked and sewed in the waist shaping darts at the top. It ended up looking kinda like a big quarter-doughnut shape. Then I just included it in with the skirt when sewing on the waistband at the top. Simple dimple.
The waistband is of matching, pale pink silk dupion, also from Fabulous Fabrics. I chose this because it is nicely stiff, inflexible and very stable, which is really good in a waistband for a skirt like this. While the floaty, ripply, slithery poly crepe is really lovely for the skirt part of the skirt, it is not the slightest bit stable. And this is very much a waist-defining skirt design, for which a structurally sound waistband is imperative.
Some skirts are loose and flowy all over and are ok sitting low on the hips in a casual bohemian way; others need support, and the waistband is it. This design is firmly in the latter category.
Summary:
What do I love: the asymmetric shape, and the random waterfall-y ruffle-y thing falling down into a handkerchief like hem at the front. Divinely floaty fabric in the heavenliest soft pale pink.
What don’t I love; it’s nearly winter here and I’m going to have to put it away for a few months. Boooo!
OK, I have nothing else remotely intelligent to add; so, until next time, amigos!
Details:
Top; the loose drape top, modified, from drape drape by Hisako Sato, linen cotton jersey. I discovered a little hole while I was putting this on this morning, aaagh! Immediate emergency darning ensued! I love this top!
Skirt; Vogue 1384, pale pink poly-crepe
Cardigan; I also wore my calico cotton cardigan today…
Sandals; Zomp, from Zomp shoe boutique





















































































