3 piece matching set
The fabric featured in this post was kindly gifted to me by Minerva as part of their Brand Ambassadors program. All other supplies and materials were purchased by me. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
It must be counterfeit. I think there's been a glitch…
If you saw my previous unboxing video then you know I was planning to recreate a Valentino matching set that Florence Pugh wore to the Venice film festival last year. (google Florence Pugh purple outfit for reference) I’ve been obsessed with the color and I’m always down for a matching set, so when I saw this fabric on Minerva I couldn’t resist.
This fabric is the Minerva Core Range 100% cotton poplin fabric in the color purple. It comes in 39 colors, which gives you so many options and fun combinations. This fabric is also OEKO-TEX certified and is light to medium weight. I find this poplin great for being both soft, crisp, and breathable which felt like the perfect combination for the projects I was planning on making and the hot summer. It worked great for the button down, elastic waist shorts and a fitted crop top. I love a versatile fabric!
For the button down shirt I went with a pattern I already had, the Closet Core Kalle Shirt/dress. I’ve made this before so I knew that I would like the overall fit. I previously made a size 8, but decided this time to go with the 10 to give a more oversized look. For reference my measurements are bust 36, waist 29, and hips 41 in inches. I did redraft the hem to be the right length I was looking for and to be not quite as dramatic of a side seam and not have the back quite as long. Instead of a dress or a tunic, I wanted it to be the perfect oversized shirt. I really love how it turned out. The fabric was great in that it’s not super stiff, but I also didn’t have any issues with pattern pieces stretching out and not matching up, which I've struggled with before when making collared shirts. I didn’t even need to interface the collar, it felt perfect on its own. Although I did make some subtle changes to the collar point, just to get the right look I was going for. I also added the sleeve expansion to make this a long sleeve look. I don’t love how wide the sleeve cuffs are so I shortened mine by 1.5 inches which looked closer to the RTW button down shirts I have. I can’t wait to mix this into my wardrobe.
For the shorts I went with the StayStitch Pattern Co. Soline Shorts. This was another pattern that I have and love, so I knew I’d like the fit. I made the size 10 and just changed the waist to eliminate the paper bag aspect and just have them be a regular elastic waist short. I love this pattern because it has so many pocket options which is really fun.
The crop top I decided to completely self draft. I didn’t have any patterns that matched this, and since I already have a bodice sloper that I created for myself I decided it would be fun to work with that and see what I can come up with. I didn’t follow any specific guidelines for this process. Since a sloper is fitted to your body, and that was the look I was going for, I mostly just needed to redraft the neckline and play with strap length. I really wanted it to be all in one front and back pieces, instead of separate straps. It’s also fully lined, so that it looks as seamless as possible, which is the design of my inspiration piece and the look I was going for. I used the burrito method for the neckline and armholes and then used this tutorial for hemming the bottom that looks invisible. I used a 7 inch invisible zipper as the closure in the back and this tutorial for doing that. I love self-drafting and I’m really happy with the results. I’m loving a square neckline right now and I’m excited to see what else I can create with this new design!
This project was a lot of work. I used a ton of techniques, some I’ve never done before, and it was lots of sewing, pressing, unpicking, changing, resewing, and hand sewing. Whew! But I love it! Let me know what you think! Did I do the OG justice?
If you recognize the lyrics above stay tuned for a fun video I’ll post later!