I think, *think*, it might be safe to say that DC is transitioning to Spring. You can never completely tell, but I get the feeling the next couple blog posts are going to be the end of straight hair for a while. Once my scalp starts sweating it's a no go, lol.

Also, is anyone else doing a wardrobe culling? I'm trying not to be too hard on the winter stuff that didn't get worn because the season just wasn't that cold this year, but looking forward to Spring/Summer I feel the need for less even if I'm not sure how that will exactly look. Take today's outfit. Before pulling it together I would have said it was time for this turtleneck to go. It's a super slim fit and kind of sheer, neither of which really appeal to me. But like this? It was the perfect non-black/white neutral, balanced both of the corduroy pieces, and really made the whole thing complete. I know I shouldn't keep a piece just because of one outfit, but did remind me of the efficacy of sometimes boring pieces, even if there are a couple things that aren't ideal.

I feel similar about undershirts - I know, objectively, I have too many t-shirts. BUT, now that I'm wearing thinner knits more often, these shirts function perfectly as a sweat barrier, and having more of them on hand means I'm not doing laundry as often. Which for a person who doesn't have a washer/dryer in unit, really speaks to me. It's a bit of a conflict in my closet right now, a desire for less while also making sure that the pieces I love are around longer to be worn when I want to. Combined with a deep hatred for laundry.

CONUNDRUMS ABOUND.

As you may have noticed in the last post, I hit a bit of a road block with this dress and its faithfulness to the original - what I had thought was a satin side panel, was upon further reflection and rewinding of the episode in question - A FULLY OPEN ON THE SIDES TOP/TUNIC THING. With pants that had two different types of legs and velvet boots. I...I just....I was not prepared for this.


I admit I'm playing catchup on the show, but f*ck me. After watching the scenes here I had a small meltdown and decided that ultimately I just don't like this look. Not only do I have no idea/don't want to make pants with one nylon leg, this is just not my aesthetic. I feel beautiful in long gowns, I do not think I'd feel as beautiful in this kind of tunic thing. So. Game time. I decided to do something in the spirit of this inspiration that would also being a design that I'd feel nice and pretty in while wearing.

First step: satin panel (obviously after a trip to JoAnns where I actually bought two different pieces because I suddenly had decision paralysis).

While wearing the dress I took a pair of small scissors and free handed the cut on the (my) right side. I decided that an organic, free flowing affect with the lace would be the best way to bring the two fabrics together.


After the first rough chop I laid it out on my ironing board for pinning and refining.


Here's the rub - because of the effect I wanted and my little experience hand sewing, each side took 3 HOURS to secure. I was primarily back stitching the whole thing and went along not only the seam of the dress, but out into the lace pieces over the satin panel, since clearly those couldn't move either.  The first chunk was a labor of love and self-hatred that I did from bed, the second (a week later) standing over my ironing board and dealing with the back pain. I'm thinking that if 1) you were more experienced 2) you had more space there would obviously be better ways of doing this, but I did what I had to.


After that I used my machine to do quick top stitch hem along the bottom of the satin fabric, but honestly only because when I tried to hand stitch it my thread kept getting knots and finally I gave up.


For the next side, of which I apparently didn't take any pictures? (sorry) , I gave my soul a break with the black nylon and just cut the dress seam to seam. No organic-flowy bullsh*t, but a harsh break to juxtapose against the other side. With that decision made, pinning and sewing the whole panel only ("only") took three hours.


After making the most ridiculous binding tape out of the remaining nylon to finish the hem (we're not discussing it more, it really was the most terrible option for an inexperienced person), the dress is done. SHOCKING. I KNOW. I did some Googling for shoes because 1) I wasn't sold on thigh high boots and 2) I didn't want to spend a lot of money on shoes for a very specific cosplay. But hey - the internet provides and I'm going with these hard-to-walk-and-stand-in-for-long-periods-of-time heels from Macy's:


And you've waited a while, but here's a blurry finished pic!


Don't miss out! You can find the other parts of this series below:

• Part I
• Part II
• Part III 
• Part IV