Once again, I'm pulling from my massive pattern stash!  This pattern is 9 year old OOP - Vogue 2947 from designer Anna Sui.

During the warm months, I love a silky tunic, caftan and poncho.  I love lightweight, loose-fit garments, with crochet and lace details with sexy cuts, that don't cross the line into the vulgar territory. So this blouse from Anna Sui fits in so perfectly with my spring/summer wardrobe.

I cut the size 14... that was the smallest size in the envelope that I had purchased many years ago.  But I like the flowiness.

My fabric is this gorgeous Black Silk Crepe de Chine from Mood Fabrics.com.  It feels amazing, like expensive lingerie.

The bodice is a gathered, empire-waist style.  I normally steer clear of styles like this because they're so reminiscent of maternity tops.  But this fabric is so drapey that no one will mistake this as a sign for "baby on board".

There are ties extending from the garment at both the sleeves and hems.  I didn't bother with French seams, I just finished it with my serger.  And it seems that I've been on a roll with narrow baby hems.  I can officially say that I'm a narrow hem making pro!

I found embroidered lace trim at Joanns.  And to keep from having to layer my blouse over a cami, I closed up the deep-v so that it would be daytime appropriate and bra-friendly.

I was planning to just default to wearing my white jeans with the top.  But the weather was so warm and gorgeous that I got up on Saturday morning and ran to Joanns to find a Simplicity shorts pattern, since they were on sale for a dollar.  My shorts are Simplicity 1165, view D.  

I cut the size 14.  My fabric is Nicole Miller Black and White Abstract Twill from Joanns.  It's 97% poly and 3% spandex.  It's not a knit, it's a woven with a little bit of give.  It's perfect for bottoms and dresses that benefit from a tad amount of stretch.

Here is the inside.  I cut and sewed these shorts in probably an hour and a half.  Most of the time was spent feeding the elastic through the casing.

These are great pieces that make awesome additions to wardrobe, especially the shorts.  They're so quick to make that I'm sure I'm going to be making a few more pairs throughout the summer. 

I have a fixation with "Great White Shirts".  I love all variations and they're a must have for my wardrobe.  I wanted a crisp white statement top as a transition piece from summer to fall.

I picked McCall's 7163.  And I used this Rag & Bone White Mercerized Cotton Woven from Mood Fabrics.com.   This cotton woven is divine!  It has no stretch, and the luster of the fabric makes it look so luxurious.  

I was inspired by the Rosie Assoulin Fall 2014 white shirt.  Even though mine is intentionally not a direct duplication, and probably more wearable, I still have the off-the-shoulder style with the dramatic sleeves.  This is what I call a "Runway to Realway" look.  Because I don't know how easy it would be to drive and raise my arms over my head in the Rosie shirt, even though that design is incredibly beautiful. 

I cut the size small.  I used view D and just added the elastic at the waist like view C.  I didn't have to add any additional length.  It sewed perfectly from the envelope.

For the elasticized neckline, there is a double casing using 1/2" elasic in each one.  I love how neat it looks.  I'm not a fan of when fabric looks bunched up.

I debated on which version of the sleeves to use.  The elasticized opening won.  Plus, I felt that they represented my inspiration look.  

When I first saw this ikat jersey from Mood Fabrics, I knew it was supposed to be a maxi dress.  Because this is one of those fabrics that simply speaks to you!  And it screamed, "Boho chic!"  

And one with long sleeves is a great transitional garment for me.  

And every so often, I like an easy, palette cleansing project and Vogue 8921 fit the bill.  This pattern is simple and such a perfect way to highlight the fabric and allow it to be the star.  

I made my usual alterations, which is to just lengthen everything!  I added an inch to the waist and three inches to the skirt.  Surprisingly, the sleeves were a good length so I didn't have to lengthen them.

I decided to turn the fabric and cut it cross grain.  I like the way the fabric looks that way.  And since the print is not all uniform, there was no pulling out of the hair or gnashing of the teeth to match the fabric at the seams.

This fabric handled pretty well and feels excellent.  It made this dress feel as if I was wearing a nightgown!  The drape is perfect for this sort of dress.  It required very little pressing, only the seams.  And that's my kind of fabric!  And this fabric in it's dark but colorful hues is a great addition to a fall wardrobe.

Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a great Father's Day weekend!

We had decent weather and I took my husband who's a major DC (and Marvel) Comics fan to see "Man of Steel".

And this is what I wore.

Inspired by Pinterest!

Caftans/kaftans/tunics and shorts are becoming my weekend staples.  Along with a pair of gladiator sandals is the epitome of "boho-chic".  Somedays, I feel like unleashing my inner hippie!  And if there is one thing a boho-chic fashionista loves, it's a good caftan.

Wearing: Caftan: McCall's 6204; DIY Levi's cutoffs; Asos.com gladiators; vintage aviators; Amrita Singh bangles; purse: (old).

I hope you all had a great Memorial Day Weekend.  I hope it was everything you wanted it to be!  Mine was filled with family, good weather and great food! 

And in the Deep South, good weather means shorts season.

There's nothing wrong t-shirts and shorts, but for me I prefer adding silk pieces.  I love the juxtaposition of something dressy and luxurious paired with something so laid back and casual.

For this outfit, I reached in the closet and pulled out this silk blouse, which is Vogue 1323.  The shorts are Old Navy's Everyday Khaki Shorts 5" in white.  These are my go to shorts for summer.  They're almost always on sale for $15 and come in a range of colors and sizes.  And they last through many, many washes.  I've had this pair for about 3 years and have yet to see as much as stray thread of fraying.

For outfit #2, I pulled out my FAVORITE caftan.  It's New Look 6051 from last summer.  I essentially styled it the same way, but this time with these shorts, which are also from New Look (6100).  I love wearing shorts underneath this caftan... it gives the illusion that it's a daringly short mini dress that I'd never be caught dead wearing without a pair of shorts underneath.  This pattern, made in silk chiffon produced a fabulous garment very similar to this high-end Roberto Cavalli one.

Now that the weekend is over, it's back to business.  I have a new blogpost, a pattern review that will be up in the morning and I'm getting ready to cut into my next project!

For the last couple of years, they go-to clothing item of spring and summer is the maxi skirt.  And one of it's perfect partners is the chambray shirt.  

Inspired by Pinterest

A chambray shirt and maxi skirt is a perfect transitional outfit.  

On a day like yesterday where the temps hovered around the mid-60s, this was a fabulous way to still represent a boho-chic spring.

Any color or print maxi would work great with a chambray shirt.  But I chose my yellow maxi, because y'all know how I feel about the color yellow!

Wearing:  Chambray shirt:  DKNY; DIY maxi skirt.

I'd seen this beautiful silk chiffon at Hancock and I knew that I must own it.  I was hesitant at first because silk chiffon is not my favorite fabric to work with and I hadn't a clue as to what I would make  with it.  So it ended up taking me a few weeks to pull the trigger on that purchase.  And I'm glad that I waited:  the fabric was originally $19.99/yd.  When I bought it, it was on sale for $9/yd!  

I knew that I wanted to make something that would allow the fabric to be the star and with minimal seaming.  So I decided to make a caftan.

I used New Look 6051.  I've had this pattern for a while now and had never gotten around to using it.  

I started this project with the intention of it being a quickie.  Well, it wasn't exactly.  My way of taming the silk chiffon was to use Sullivans' Fabric Stabilizer.  I sprayed the fabric and allowed it to flat dry on my cutting table.  When it was completely dry, it felt almost paper-like.  This made the silk chiffon a lot easier to handle.  And since this is silk, I used French seams and narrow hems.  Simple, but pretty time consuming nevertheless.

Since my venue for the day was a park, I layered the caftan over a white cami with white shorts and paired with sparkly sneakers for an added touch of casualness.

Wearing: caftan: New Look 6051; cami: Target; shorts: Old Navy; sneakers: Converse: purse: Street Style from Lotus Boutique