Making a capsule holiday wardrobe

An autumn holiday is planned! I am so looking forward to this getaway, the first since before the pandemic and with warm weather hopefully in store, I suddenly got rather panicked by what on earth I had to wear. I have never been one to have a lot of clothes, and with a holiday that should be packed with both sightseeing and resting up by the pool and perhaps even some beach days, I feel that I need a mixture of outfits.

My daughter has been home for a few days and brought with her, the idea of the Riviera vibe for holidays that is almost retro - a sort of hark back to the more glamourous days of the 1950’s before the t-shirt took hold. If you know me at all, you’ll know that I am really not a fan of stretchy tops, although of course, I do have some camisoles for layering, and my all time favourite striped breton tops. Anyhow, I set out to plan a capsule wardrobe for hot weather. Given that I am not really a pro dressmaker and everything is done with lowish expectations, I am so absolutely thrilled with my makes. Here’s how it went.

Top No. 1: a crisp cotton, boat neck, sleeveless top, made using the Merchant and Mills, Trapeze dress pattern.

My first golden rule is check the internet for pattern reviews - this can be really helpful for sizing and inspire fabric choices.

My second golden rule is trace the pattern, so that you can hack it and mess around with different parts of it and still have your original incase you need to start again.

My third golden rule is always make a toile - I did and it was too wide on the shoulders and a size too big. I trimmed my pattern pieces down, shaping the armholes inwards a little and making the shoulders narrower. I also didn’t think any iron-on interfacing was necessary as it made it too stiff so I didn’t bother to use it again and because you have a neat fabric interfacing it it absolutely fine.

For the fabric, I had a piece left over from a quilt backing which was this pretty Kaffe Fassett tiled pattern which seemed just perfect for a holiday top. I also find Kaffe Fassett fabric a little softer than alot of quilting fabrics which can be rather stiff for dressmaking. I cut it out and having made a toile, it went together so quickly. It is a great pattern because if you use french seams, there are no exposed edges and it is neat and professional looking both inside and out. This time the fit was great and it is just seems perfect for a holiday top with cropped trousers. With the right accessories, you can make it look quite smart and I made a tie hair band for my wavy bobbed hair, with some of the left over fabric for the ‘riviera vibe’. Sun glasses and lipstick essential, I think!!!!!

Top No. 2 : It was easy then to whip up a second top using the same pattern, but this time with some lace trimming and vintage buttons. They suited the ditsy print which was also a remnant in my stash and has a more linen look. A straw hat and some chino’s and it’s the perfect sightseeing outfit for me.

Top No. 3 I straightened the sides of the paper pattern so that it wasn’t quite so triangular and this time used a piece of cotton lawn from Moda’s Regent St. collections. A narrow cotton lace trim suited the fabric and this is so light and airy to wear (and pack), it will be super pretty for hot sightseeing days.

Top No. 4: An embroidered, colour blocked top made with linen remnants.

This time the idea was to ramp it up a gear to make something really unique that can work for both day and evening. I turned to my beloved Japanese embroidery books for inspiration and knew that I needed fairly large, graphic motifs to really give some impact. Here, I have to say, I love that I have a stash of stencils and templates. All of them have come from different projects, but they get used over and over again and in this instance these large floral shapes made the project so easy to use. I suppose it is one of the advantages of being a bit older, that over the years a collection of this sort of thing builds. I love being able to reach into a box file and find the right tool for the job. These laser cut stencils and shapes are easily available on line and in quilt shops and are definitely worth adding to your library when you have the chance.

The use of just a handful of colours is quite effective. Infact it is really on the 3 colours, ecru, purple and yellow, in different shades. I picked this selection to match some beads that I made a couple of weeks ago. My daughter was home and wanted to make a long beaded necklace and found a fantastic wholesaler to visit to see what we could find. I was over the moon to find Rutile Quartz which is a lovely warm glassy stone with fine golden threads running through it. I paired it with some amethyst, tigers eye, mother of pearl and ammonite. We spent and evening researching how to knot the silk thread and where both thrilled with the results. My long necklace is so fun for the holidays and why not to match the embroidery.

My fourth golden rule is therefore plan and coordinate. Use existing accessories to make ‘outfits’. This might sound old fashioned and I remember my mum talking about the matching shoes and handbag thing, but actually there is so much sense to it. Add trimmings to suit a mood style - vintage, boho, evening sparkle and consider what accessories you might have to accompany it. It does make for an easy holiday wardrobe if it’s all just there, ready to wear as an ensemble.

For sure, it did take me a bit of time to embroider this linen border, but all good things take time. In fact the stitching is really very straightforward, chain stitch, back stitch, french knots and a tiny bit of satin stitch. It is the placement of the colours and motifs that makes it stand out. I do think this top will occupy a special place in my heart though and I shall feel a million dollars wearing it.

Making these four simple tops has really boosted my confidence in dressmaking and I feel ready to move on to a new pattern now. I also feel ready for my holiday, so I’ll be seeing you soon, a bientot !

Love Ruby xx

PS. some useful links

The trapeze dress pattern is from Merchant and Mills here

My beautiful beads came from a selection at Burhouse in Huddersfield, here