90’s throwback

Note: I’ve been paying attention to the current conversations happening on social media about cultural appropriation and violence towards Asian communities. Since making these garments my understanding of cultural appropriation has grown and I now see how the naming of this collection is problematic, and is a form of cultural appropriation. I’m also aware that a considerable number of people contacted Papercut Patterns some time ago in relation to this collection, and that it’s taken several years to be resolved. When the new pattern names are announced I will amend my posts relating to the collection, and I am also making a donation to a local charity to reflect the amount I have spent on these patterns. I’m considering other courses of action I can take, including removing these blog posts all together, I welcome any suggestions people might have regarding this. I’m very grateful to the people on social media who have done so much work to educate and inform me about these topics.

This revival of 90’s fashion is weirding me out a little bit, it’s the first time clothing I remember wearing when I was a kid is back in the shops! I vividly remember having a slip dress when I was 8 or 9, it was chocolate brown and had a cream ditzy floral print. I wore it over one of those white ribbed tee shirts that everyone had, probably with jelly sandals, and I thought I was so cool. And now, 20 years later, I’ve cycled back around to the cami-dress and tee shirt combo! I’m not doing jellies again though, those things gave me wicked blisters…

This is a Cami/Dress from Papercut Patterns. I admit, I passed over this one when it was first released, it looked a bit too cleavage-y and the low back makes wearing a bra hard. Then I started seeing the whole slip and tee shirt combo coming back, and I changed my mind about it! I really like the shape of this pattern, the triangular bodice pieces and the scooped back are so pretty. I chose my usual Papercut size of XS, which is a size down from where my measurements put me, but which seems to fit best! 

I chose a very drapey dark teal rayon crepe from deep in my stash to try this out. I love how flowy the crepe is with this pattern, but it does hang very heavily from that central point where the skirt and bodice pieces meet. Something with a bit more structure (or less weight) would sit more smoothly there I think! I debated about whether I should sew fixed length straps, but in the end I followed the instructions and used lingerie sliders to make them adjustable. If I shorten the straps heaps I can hike the back of the dress up high enough to cover my bra band, though I doubt I’ll be wearing it alone! It’s a good option for a slip though…

I did make my life slightly more complicated by changing the order of construction so that I could line the bodice cleanly. I sewed the skirt pieces to just the outer bodice pieces, and then hand sewed the lining pieces over the seam so that it’s all nice and tidy inside. 

The tee shirt I’m wearing here is also a new one, it’s a crew neck Lark tee made in some more of the striped cotton/Lycra knit that I made a long sleeved version out of last year. I’ve used every version of the Lark pattern now! I used the short sleeve piece here, but I prefer the cap sleeve I think. Something to remember for next time!