BWOF 12/08 #118 Skirt

This skirt caught my eye on the preview, and it only got better when I saw the line drawing on Burda's website. I love shapes that are achieved by non-traditional seaming, and this definitely fits the bill. Possibly more so once I "fixed" it.

The original skirt has a traditional fly-front zip which curves into a wrap-around seam which meets in the back. My version of this skirt has a curved seam in the front and an invisible zipper on the left side, which I feel is way more comfortable and also more flattering - no zipper bunching up under a knit top, my favorite look. There was a left side seam to use, so why not? I actually debated splitting the back piece, which is cut on the fold, but I decided that would actually affect the integrity of the design, so I left it alone.

I started cutting this out on Sunday, during a coat break, and the pieces are as interesting-looking as the resulting skirt. Everything is more or less cut on the straight grain, but I'm getting an urge to try this in a light-weight summer fabric with a chaotic print and just letting bias and straight grain fight it out. Could be fun, no?
The fabric is from Kashi (of course), purchased during the PR October shopping day. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but Kashi said it was "Italian rayon." Whatever it is, it survived the washer/dryer challenge with minimal shrinkage and a slight softening of the texture. For a lined skirt, it's not like that's going to happen very often, but I wanted to know what I was dealing with and it didn't disappoint. Though Kashi's fabrics rarely disappoint, so I shouldn't be too surprised.

I love the colors in the fabric, the tiny flecks of gold and orange that probably don't show up all too well in the picture. I'm thinking that any topstitching I do on this skirt may be orange. Would that be too awful? Should I use gold?

Also, the original skirt has a waistband, and I'm seriously thinking about losing the waistband and making a facing instead. Since I apparently lost control of my waist not long after my 40th birthday, fitted waistbands are not my friend.

Muffin-top is bad enough in jeans; it should be illegal spilling over a too-tight waistband. And since I'm not in my 20s anymore, I choose not to suffer for fashion. (I have clear memories of waistbands digging in to the point of raw, red lines around my waist when I got changed after work, but dang, I looked good during the day. Didn't I?)

Do you ever wish you could go back in time and see how you really looked when you thought you looked fabulous? Maybe not such a good idea after all.