I made this dress last year and my love for it has not waned a single bit!

Good pattern and great fabric = awesome summer dress to pull out season after season.

This fabric is from Mood Fabrics, from the fabulous designer Thakoon.  It's a silk crepe and it handles beautifully!  And it's also held up beautifully.  This dress has gone through my washer with no problems!

And in the spring and summer, is there really anything better than a flowy silk dress?  I think not! I'd wear one everyday if I could!

Wearing Butterick 5886.  See the original review here.

Yesterday, I was feeling solemn and heavy-hearted.  I just wanted to embrace family and hug my kids.

We decided to turn off the tv and disconnect from social media for a while and enjoy the beautiful afternoon.  It rained so much last week that a sunny day felt almost like a novelty.

It was a perfect day for a flowy dress, comfortable -- yet stylish sandals, a head scarf to combat the high humidity and aviators.  We hung out at the park and lake.  We took a moment to watch the world through the unbiased eyes innocence as she took in every bird, duck, turtle, piece of tree bark.  We wished that life could always be that simple and unvarnished.

Wearing: dress:  Butterick 5886; scarf: Jason Wu x Target; vintage aviators; Gladiator sandals: ASOS.com

I could get my twirl on in this!

The moment that Mood posted a photo of this gorgeous fabric on their Instagram account, I immediately found it on the site and pulled the trigger on the purchase.  I was already in the mindset to make summer dresses, but I was still mentally deliberating on fabric choices.  And seeing this fabric at that exact moment... well, it was just serendipitous.  

This beautiful paisley print silk crepe de chine was the perfect marriage of fabric and pattern to Butterick 5886.  This fabric is so lightweight, floaty and luxurious.  It was perfect for a halter-style, high-low hem dress.

As much as I love silk fabrics, they're usually difficult to handle.  But this fabric cut beautifully and was easy to handle.  I  had no trouble keeping it on the grain, nor did it "crawl".  I used French seams and a narrow hem, because the wrong side of the hem shows.

Fashion tip #1 - A good racerback bra with a deep front closure is perfect for this!

Fashion tip #2 - To insure there's no "slippage", pick up Topstick Hairpiece Tape.  I got mine at Sally's Beauty Supply.  In my opinion, it looks a lot neater than using a pin.

The seams are understitch.  And I used a China silk from my stash to line the dress.

For the pattern, I lengthened the bodice by an inch.

And the skirt by three inches. 

And here's a tip:  For silk dresses with zippers, always interface the zipper insertion area.

I absolutely love this silhouette, and I can see myself living in these kind of dresses all summer!