Blouse #10 // Strawberry Fields

The march of the Sorbettos.  I totally get why people love this pattern.  This weekend I woke up dreaming about scouting Anthropologie for some cute new clothing (who knows why?), and instead of succumbing to the urge to take a 1.2 mile walk, I scoured my stash for this piece of fabric that I'd mentally earmarked to transform into a blouse someday.

My Dad: "Were you trying to go for a period piece look?"
Haha Dad, I suppose that is how one could describe 'retro', no?  I think of it as moderately exagerrated tuxedo, partly faux-Anthropologie-esque, and equal parts 'happy accident' and 'but there were ginormous buttons I really want to use that maybe are more like coat buttons but who cares?'

Pattern: Sorbetto, plus Sew Weekly free Sorbetto sleeve (with 2" pinched out of sleeve circumference)
Fabric: Thrifted, I originally thought it was quilting cotton but the minute it came in contact with my iron I could smell it was a synthetic blend, if not entirely synthetic.
Size: Uh ... 4, -2, -4?

I guesstimated my "size -2" as 1/4" narrower at the waist than the 0, in keeping with the Sorbetto sizing, and graded down the upper hip 1/2" to a "size -4" because I like my upper hip measurement to be narrower than my bust circumference and that's not how Sorbetto is drafted.  This is most clear in the pattern piece on the right.  I also shaved off 1/4" the bottm to make a "size -2" length.

And how it fits.  I could stand to make a swayback adjustment if I cared ... which I'm not going to nitpick for the time being.  I think it's pretty decently fited for a blouse that has no zippers or buttons!  This may be my new sloper for this style of blouse.

Trying to prove I can still be goofy in front of the camera without my favorite photographer around.  One thing I like about this blouse is the length and fitted-ness --- if blouses are too loose and long, I tend to feel like I can only wear them with pencil skirts or jeans (and as you know, I have only bought 2 pairs of jeans in the past decade and until my 2nd purchase wore them about once a month, so that's not a look that will get worn a lot). 

But if they're cropped and fitted then the proportions and silhouettes will work with an A-line skirt, of which I have quite a few.  Due to the high polyester content, this is not a summer blouse by any stretch of the imagination, but it could easily go Fall to Spring, which includes as a layering piece under cardigans in winter.

I'm not exactly100% sold on this look, since in these photos the red buttons seem a bit overwhelming.  But I wasn't sold on Dijon and that has grown on me.  It's that neverending line of, "Well ... it's quirky and it works" vs. "well, it IS quirky, not sure it works but I wouldn't say that to your face."  But, I'll wear it for a year and see what I think September 2013!