The Double Booked Dress

I tell you, it’s all feast or famine when it comes to my weekend plans. Either I have a zillion things to do and I’m completely overwhelmed and end up crying in a corner clutching some wine, or I have nothing to do and I’m sad and lonely and end up crying in a corner clutching some wine. So it’s pretty great either way, honestly. Do you ever look around and wonder if your friends have some kind of conspiracy going, like, “we’re all going to have birthdays in May this year, that’ll work!”? I do….yes, I know birthdays aren’t a choice. They are, however, a scam invented by Hallmark to sell birthday cards. God, what I’m going to do when that show ends? This must be how people felt about Breaking Bad. But not me, because I just couldn’t get into Breaking Bad. For a show about drug running I felt that thing moved awfully slowly. SEE WHAT I DID THERE? I’m going to laugh about that one for a while. See, it’s humor like this that helps me out when I’m all alone crying in that corner.

ANYway, this past Friday I had not one, but TWO parties to attend! I know, I know, cue the sad violins because you just feel so damn sorry for me. But it’s a lot of pressure! One was a pub crawl in the East Village for my friend Josh, and one was a BBQ Birthday Bash in Astoria for my friend Victoria. Two parties, two friends, two worlds, one Leah. So what could I wear that would work for both of these events, and also look decent at work during the day before either of these parties, AND keep me warm and comfortable dashing around New York in the October chill, because it is chilly, and god knows I don’t suffer for fashion? In the Struggleverse, fashion suffers for YOU. What could fulfill all of these requirements? Nothing already hanging in my closet, obviously, because that’s all be SEEN and besides, I wanted to make something new, duh. And then I thought, what have I been craving most as the leaves change and the apples are harvested. Something cozy, something plaid, something cute, something plaid, something flannel, SOMETHING PLAID. And so here we go:

So I made myself something plaid. Are you mad? Don’t be mad. Of if you are, just be mad for plaid. Hehehehehehehe, see, no wonder I’m alone in that corner…whatever, more wine for me!

I used the Amy Butler Liverpool pattern, something I’ve had for at least two years now and never got around to trying. It’s a nice pattern and her instructions are pretty great, especially the diagrams, really helpful. The collar and collar stand threw me a bit at first, but I just went slow and breathed my way through it, and I think it turned out beautifully, honestly, I’m unabashedly proud of this collar:

To see my true pride, check out this facial expression:

I am feeling like a pimp, yes, and I will indeed be brushing my shoulders off, thank you very much. Having not tried Amy Butler patterns before, I cut the pattern to my size, a 6, and for the most part it fits, but clearly the bust was drafted smaller than the independent companies I’ve gotten used to, because it’s a touch snug. It’s not bad or uncomfortable, I can just see a little pulling at the bust buttons, sigh. Next time I would do a full bust adjustment. Oh, how I’ve become so spoiled!

Otherwise the fit is pretty good, I like the slimmer fit and the sleeves are great. I omitted the cuff buttons and went with the 3/4 length sleeve, because I tend to roll things up anyway. The back is especially cute:

You insert these ties into the sides and tie it in the back, which gives you nice waist definition in a sneaky way. I like sneaky clothing. Who wouldn’t?

You can’t really tell in these photos but this fabric is actually navy and red, not black and red. I got the fabric on Ebay, it’s an extremely cozy flannel, which I also don’t know if you can tell here. The lighting at my job sometimes leaves something to be desired. But my lovely co-worked Michelle, a costume design student and stand-up human being, agreed to snap these of me on a break, so I can’t really complain. My costume shop co-workers are so great, they coo and clap over my stuff even though they are sewing bosses and I am in so many ways a lowly layman. Thanks, costume shop friends!

Oh! I don’t really know how this happened because I didn’t really try and didn’t have enough yardage to really make an effort, but somehow, by some strange magic, my sides and sleeves totally match on this thing! The same cannot be said for my collar/stand/back, but I have long hair whatever whatever just look at the nice plaid matching, please!

Thank you, magically matching plaid! You are a sewer’s best friend!

So the most important question, did my dress make it through the night? It did, with flying colors, staying as comfortable and cute as it was when I put it on from Pub Crawl to smoked brisket to the ride home, looking good even as my Guatemalan cab driver shared with me about his recent messy divorce. People, man. You want to see it in action? Well, by the time I got to Astoria enough wine had been consumed that photos weren’t going to happen, but I did get a shot in the East Village:

Here with my friend Liz! I know my face is totally blurred, but trust me, that’s me, how many other people would show up wearing a plaid shirtdress? Well, I mean, hipster is king, so maybe a lot…

The only problem is, I think I’ve caught plaid fever. There is no existing cure….

How is your fall going?