Let's start this post off by first defining a shift dress vs. sheath dress:  Shift and sheath are oftentimes used interchangeably, but they are completely different. They are both uncomplicated dresses with hemlines falling somewhere near the knee. The difference is a shift tends to be less fitted around the waist and the hips. If it's a good draft, it will still have bust darts. Whereas a sheath is fitted because it either has front and back waist darts or is cut with princess seams.

I'm saying all of this to say, that this is the first thing I noticed about Vogue 8945. You should already know by now that I picked it because of these sleeves. BTW, I've made this before as a top.

I cut the size 12 from the top and graded to the 14 at the waist and hips. I lengthened the dress by 2 inches because I wanted it to fall above the knee, but I didn't want a mini dress.

The back of the dress has waist darts. And the front only has horizontal bust darts. So in my opinion, this dress wanted to be a shift in the front and sheath in the back. On my frame, this created a fit issue. I had A LOT of fabric pooling under the bust and above the hips. While the dress was somewhat fitted at the back, the excess fabric in the front created an almost blousing effect. Since I lean towards sheath dresses anyway, I took in the sides -- right below the armholes to the top of the hips.

With my fabric, this beautiful Baja Blue Stretch Poly-Rayon Crepe from Mood Fabrics.com, which unfortunately has sold out,  these alterations worked out great. This stretch poly-rayon crepe looks like wool crepe, but it wears like a ponte with its crosswise stretch. I see why it went fast. Amazing stretch wovens don't last long.

The neckline is finished with a facing.

The insides are finished with serged, pressed open seams. And in lieu of a hook & eye, I used a rouleau loop and button.

The star of this design is the triple sleeve flounces. With my fabric, this makes my dress a little heavy. Heavy as in, I'm very much aware of the sleeves while wearing this. 

Even though I absolutely love my fabric, I feel this dress would completely float into a room if done in a silk crepe. Who knows? Maybe the next version...

Get ready, because all things flared is a dominating trend for Fall 2016. I'm rocking this trend with Vogue 8945 and New Look 6459.

I previously made Vogue 8945 a couple of years ago. It's a fabulous dress pattern that's been around for a while, but it's perfectly on trend this season. And this pattern is perfect as a dress or as a modified top. 

These exaggerated sleeves are simply to die for. If you haven't been sleeping under a rock, you have seen that current fashion-forward drama is pointing towards cuffs that are as wide, some as waistbands. This is a great white top that I've been enjoying for a while. I originally made it for a dressy occasion to wear with guipure lace skirt. And I've even toned it down with jeans here. So it's extremely versatile.

My cropped flared pants are another iteration of New Look 6459. I made them in a white suiting fabric over the summer. I reached for those pants so much that I had to make another pair in black.

The fabric type is also trending for Fall. Jacquards, brocades and damask is really hot right now. This fabric is Nicole Miller Floral Jacquard in Caviar from Joann Fabrics. It's one of the priciest fabrics I've run across in the fashion fabric section. It was $30/yard (I bought it during a 60% coupon deal!). And it's very luxurious. Nicole Miller is the best thing to happen to Joann's. 

I love the fabric. I love these pants. And I'll be wearing these all season!

I live on Instagram.  It's a great source of inspiration.  I consider it the "quick and dirty" side of blogging.  If it weren't for the fact that I sew and I have more than a few lines to say about a project,  and I like to include links, I'd consider using my IG account full-time.  And because I'm very visual, I rarely read blog posts unless I'm truly interested in what the person made or is wearing and I need to know the details.  Or perhaps there's some sort of interesting story going.  And I know plenty of others do the same.  I can tell based on the questions that are asked in comments.

Today's inspiration is taken from New York Times Fashion.  They're a great source for highlights of runway shows and fabulous street style, hence the above photo.  By the way, that's blogger Talisa Sutton, who was heading to Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia in Sydney.  

What instantly grabbed my attention about her look was her top.  I made my similar top back in September and paired it with a black guipure lace skirt.  I had always intended to wear it in a casual way.  I'd been waiting for Spring weather, because with the full, flared sleeves, I didn't want to fight with coat sleeves.  I'd almost forgotten about it until I saw that fabulous reminder in my feed a couple of days ago.  Her top is by Australian designer Ellery.

And for the flared jeans, I pulled out my Jalie 2908 jeans.  I made these jeans six years ago and they've held up remarkably well with washing and wearing.  I'm even impressed.  They've since undergone alterations.  I'm a couple of sizes smaller than I was at the time.  But since I put in so much work into the construction, and I was quite proud to say that I made a pair of jeans, I couldn't bare parting with them.

Do you use Instagram?  Do you find inspiration for fashion and sewing there?

There is just something so classic and elegant about a black and white ensemble.  And I just can't get enough of these wardrobe staples.  There are so easy to mix and match with other pieces in my closet.

And one of the things that I've been craving most is a black guipure lace skirt.  And why not a white top with dramatic sleeves to pair with it!

For the top, I used Vogue 8945.  It's actually a pattern for a dess, but I love the sleeves... so why not a top?  I cut the size 14 and I only used the front darts.  I didn't make the darts in the back because I wanted the top to fit a little boxy.  I plan to wear it with pants and to leave it untucked.  My fabric is this unusual Italian Pearl Solid Textured Cotton Blend (Content: 53% cotton, 26% nylon, 16% rayon, 5% linen).  

This fabric has a crisp hand, similar to a bottom weight linen.  And it's woven with glossy threads.  I found a that a very sharp Microtex needle worked best for sewing this.  This fabric has no stretch at all, and it would also work well for tailored garments.  And it would make a divine full skirt!  

My skirt is Vogue 8916.  I used Bemberg lining from my stash and cut the lining in the size 14, straight from the envelope.  I added 3 inches to the length of the skirt so that it would fall below the knee.  I felt a midi length would be much more elegant.

My fabric is Black Cotton Guipure Lace.  The fabric is 36" wide.  I cut it on the cross grain.  I eliminated the darts.  For this particular guipure lace, the motifs are smaller.  So instead of working around the motifs in the seams, I just cut the seams straight.  And since this lace is so delicate, I chose a skirt with a waistband.  I underlined the waistband with the lining fabric and used silk organza from my stash to stabilize it.  And for the hem, I cut around the motifs at the selvage line.