The Dreamstress

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A circular cardigan with a geek twist

In my last post I showed off my 1950s inspired circular cardigan, which manages to look far more glam than a cardigan ought to.

When I was finishing the cardigan I discovered that it isn’t just limited to looking glam. It’s also great for…

…pretending to be a Jedi knight!

While I’m only showing you the cardigan now, I actually finished it back in December, just when A New Hope was in the theatres. I tried on the mostly-finished cardigan for a friend, and she ‘ooohed’ over the flipped down collar and the swishy hem, and then I flipped up the collar to show it could also be a hood, and she practically fell over laughing, saying I looked like I should be in Star Wars.

Obviously, with a comment like that, I had to do a Star Wars photoshoot. I put out a call for a lightsaber, and the amazing Nina came through with not only a lightsaber, but also a half-scale Stormtrooper and a Darth Vader for me to have an epic battle with.

I seriously have the most awesome friends possible.

I’m wearing my cardigan with brown leggings (made specifically for the photoshoot, but also very comfy for cuddling on the couch with Felicity & Mr D), and a piece of kimono silk wrapped around me to make a quick skirt, because I decided at the 11th hour that even as a Jedi I wasn’t comfortable pretending that leggings are actually pants.

It looks pretty cool though doesn’t it? Not bad for a piece of fabric wrapped and knotted – no safety pins even!

It held up well for a bit of jumping up and down logs and slo-mo lightsaber arcs.

What you can’t see in these photos is my hair. In the best tradition of Star Wars bun-theory (one bun for Episodes 1-3, two buns for the originals, three buns for A New Hope) I’m wearing four buns. I’m the future!

Since we had a 1/2 scale stormtrooper, and since I studied art history, and was wearing a cardigan with a nice drapey hood, and the light was streaming so beautifully through the trees, it was inevitable that I’d end up doing La Pieta:

It’s very hard to mourn over a stormtrooper when your photographer insists on falling over laughing every time she takes a photo, especially when you’re trying very hard not to do the same!

A circular cardigan with a vintage twist

Published by The Dreamstress

Last spring I bought myself some delicious Karen Walker wool-blend knit in camel brown, and I immediately thought it would be perfect for a circle cardigan.

I envisioned something with a bit of a 1950s twist, with the fold-down of the circle mimicking a shawl collar, and the volume of the cut evoking a late 50s swing coat, with the goal being to elevate the cardigan from ‘slouchy wear around the house wear’ to ‘looking glam while still being super comfy’ status.

Mission accomplished!

I used an altered version of the sleeves from my cardigan pattern, and then did the rest based on a few measurements and some trial and error.

The fabric had a lovely picot edged selvedge, so I used it to form the binding – much simpler to accomplish than a full folded binding, and I love the way it looks.

I’m wearing the cardigan with a Stella skirt, a commercial blouse that I love because the neck pleating reminds me of a lei, and one of my Grandmother’s hats.

The photos are from our last ‘yes I’ll go to the hardware store with you if you’ll take pictures of me’ special of the year – there will be quite a few less hardware store trips now that the weather has gotten cold.

For photos we stopped at an abandoned store painted in a delicious aqua blue, and then at a spot I’ve had my eye on for a while now – a fabulous fence made of old doors in front of the No. 8 Building Recyclers.

As Mr D was snapping pictures, the owner finished closing up for the day and came out and complimented me on my outfit and offered to share my photos on their facebook page.

I knew there was a reason I love that place!

Stay tuned for my next post, in which I demonstrate how very versatile this cardigan is…

Rate the Dress: A lady in red, Worth style

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week I showed you a mid 18th c dress in yellow floral brocade with a link to a very interesting story (which, interestingly, not a one of you commented on!). You generally found the dress extremely nice, with a few reservations in regards to the petticoat trim, but only one of you loved it enough to give it a 10, so rated it an 8.4 out of 5. I wonder if the duke’s banyan would have done better!

For this week’s Rate the Dress I’m staying with the 18th c and 18th c inspired theme, with a Charles Worth reception dress that is a prime example of the way 18th c fashions influenced 1880s styles, so much so that we often don’t notice the influence, because it became part of the standard 1880s dress vernacular.

This ensemble, either in deep, rich wine reds, or classic tomato reds, depending on which picture you believe, features lace cuffs on the elbow-length sleeves that are a very obvious nod to 18th c engageantes. Further lace and beaded or metallic lace trim spilling down the front bodice invokes a stomacher. The echoing line of trim on the skirt is a purely Victorian flourish, but the bustled overskirt and pleated underskirt are distinctly reminiscent of a mantua.