Sometimes I just want to flaunt my hard work in the gym (I put in 60+ minutes of high intensity cardio on the elliptical) and pat myself on the back for still having really good legs at 46 years old! I decided this cute little number would be perfect!

It's a leggy look, but it doesn't violate my personal fashion rule: If I'm going short, then the top needs to be covered! Simplicity 8383 fits the bill on this.

This dress is a very swinging trapeze dress. For years, I swore off this style of dress because this was my go to silhouette when I was pregnant, 20 years ago. And as of a couple of years ago, this dress made me change my mind.

I cut the size the size 12 and added 3 inches to the length. I decided to keep it short because this dress has a lot of fullness at the bottom. If it were too long, it would really look like a tent! So I decided it would be more flattering on me to keep it short and sassy.

And the major change I made was deciding to go with a woven instead of a knit. This is ALWAYS a risky gamble. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I think it really worked this time. My fabric is a black and white cotton lycra medium weight twill that I bought a longtime ago from Mood Fabrics and used it for this look. But this bold, graphic black and white print looks like it may be of similar weight and would be a great substitute.

I added an invisible zipper because I wasn't sure I'd be able to pull the dress on without that opening. I could because my fabric has enough stretch. But the zipper makes it a lot easier and you don't have to mess up hair and makeup in the process! #winning

The neckline has a bias bound finish. Make sure to check out my tutorial and you can see my method for creating a bias bound neckline with a flawless finish. And the cold-shoulder detail is perfectly punctuates this look.

I absolutely love this dress. It's the perfect cute warm weather date night look!