Simply Stylish

Now that the cooler weather has finally arrived, I've been feeling much more inspired to work on my winter wardrobe. First up, a 1950s skirt...

Butterick 6188

"Sleek-as-a-pin tailored skirt with side button-closing and an interesting side-pleated detail. You'll find this the perfect foil for your smartest tailored and soft blouses. The back hangs smoothly without pleats."

I had some beautiful wine coloured crepe in my stash which had been ear-marked for a skirt of some sort; it would be perfect for this project.

What do you think?

This skirt was fairly simple to put together - all straight lines! - but it took me a bit to work up to the pleats and buttons. The previous owner of the pattern had used a tracing wheel to transfer the markings and had pretty much shredded the entire left front pattern piece. It was in a bad way and I was concerned about making it worse. Fortunately, once I worked up the courage to use the pattern - yes, I use my actual vintage patterns, I'm too lazy to make a copy - it was smooth sailing.

I did consider using some flashy buttons for the hip closure but the covered buttons will give me more freedom to pair it with different coloured tops. Plus, I prefer that the side-pleat detail have all the glory. It's so simple, but so very stylish!

On another note, you may not have noticed but I've gone a different hair colour. I've been varying shades of red for at least 15 years and I had gotten tired of the latest one fading. It was time for a change, so I found a brown which I liked - golden mahogany brown - and went for it.

I had a quiet heart attack when I took off the towel, it looked drastically different and really dark, but I'm really pleased with how it's washing in. It's actually quite close to my natural colour, just a little warmer. I think I might keep it for a while.

- Tamara