Last week I posted about my navy 1950s suit, where I showed you my new jacket and matching narrow skirt. Today I'd like to show you the other half of this ensemble. How pleased I was to find that three coordinating garments can give me 4 different looks!

So this outfit is a dress with contrast that matches the jacket, which has contrast that matches the dress. That makes a nice layered look at the neck and sleeves, which I like.

I did really like the width of this skirt, and how it creates a tailored look without the super slender lines usually paired with a tailored outfit.

And of course, the jacket can be removed and the dress worn on its own.

I used this dress pattern, which had long been on my to do list but got bumped up to the top when I realized that instead of pleats at the top of the skirt, it featured my favorite inside tucks.

The neck was a little challenging but would be easier to make again now that I know what I'm doing. And the fit was not perfectly to my liking, but again, not bad enough to make me not enjoy wearing it.

But other than a few challenges with putting the bodice together, the dress was easy to make and a flattering style – I'm definitely going to sew it again at some point and see if I can tweak the fit more to my liking. 

The one lesson I learned from this dress was to pay attention when a pattern says "not suitable for fabric with diagonal print or weave" – because they mean it! I didn't realize until this was cut out that it had a diagonal print, and thought I'd sew it up anyway. Well, the directions of the print is a little wonky. But thankfully the print is tiny and subtle enough that it's not super noticeable. Lesson learned!

Details:

The wool blend suiting I used for the dress doesn't drape quite as well as anticipated but it has a nice weight to it, and yet the short sleeves of the dress make me feel like it's a nice multi-seasonal garment that I can certainly get some wear out of.

It's funny…though it's not a circle skirt, I still feel so very 1950s when wearing this dress!