Thursday, November 5, 2015

Batik Inari Tee Dress


I've succumbed to the allure of the Inari Tee Dress.


I tried not to, knowing that it's outside of my style comfort zone, but each and every time Inari popped up in my blog feed, it looked just so impossibly cool. See Heather Lou, Amy, Emma, etc.


Inari also seemed a good choice for showing off a busy fabric... My fabric is a length of batik, combed cotton, which is super soft with a nice drape. I bought it recently during a weekend in Penang, Malaysia.


I know, I know, shouldn't I be stash busting? Yes, but this purchase wasn't technically against my rules! I am a lawyer, so I had to leave myself some loopholes, right? Also, batik is like my kryptonite. I just love it!


Construction-wise, I didn't change too much from the pattern. When I tried it on mid-way through, I decided I liked the length as is, so I used a bias tape facing on the hem to save all the length I could. 


It still shows a bit more leg than I normally show (see my super pale, never-seen-the-warn-rays-of-the-sun thigh below), but I'll see if I can get used to it. If not, I can always just close these side slits a bit.


I ended up topstitching the neckline facing down because it didn't want to stay tucked in and I knew it would drive me insane, popping out. I don't mind the topstitching for such a casual pattern, plus it mostly blends in the batik.


My conclusion: I'm still feeling a bit uncertain about the Inari pattern on me. I'm not sure the cocoon shape is all that flattering for a bottom-heavy gal like me. 


The photos look better than I imagined they would, though!


But I also kinda don't care how it looks because it's so comfy and breezy! 


Have you made Inari?