A New Twist on the Turtleneck (and my first Lekala Pattern)

This started off with good intentions, I promise.

I wanted my next project to be something easy, simple, wearable. A top that I could actually put on on a daily basis.

But all that went down the drain as soon as I remembered about Lekala patterns.

I learned about Lekala only a little while ago when Anne from The Clothing Engineer made a really neat sweater from one of their patterns. Lekala is a Russian pattern company that--get this--generates customized, pre-fitted patterns based on the measurements that you input! Their patterns are bought and sold entirely online. You order in through their website and soon thereafter are emailed a PDF pattern that you print and assemble yourself.







The first time I went on the Lekala website to browse oggle, I was immediately drawn to this.

Lekala #5217, a draped wrap dress.

What a pattern! I love high necklines paired with big shoulders, and this dress takes it to the next level with horizontal pleating that creates a ribbed effect.







The thing is, I'm not in the market for another dress right now. What I did need, was a shirt. I decided to cut the pattern off at the waist and get rid of the pleated draping across the chest to create a seriously funky top.

Thus was conceived the most complicated black turtleneck anyone has ever aspired to!

My College Interview Dress

I finished my dress!

I am now ready and ravishingly-dressed for all college interviews. Which is pretty ironic considering I'm done with almost all my interviews...but at least now all of the ones I have left will have to accept me! ;)

The pattern that I used is V1265, a Pamella Roland suitdress pattern. I made it in a really cool black fabric with a purple pinstripe and iridescent purple silk dupioni for the lining. (In my last post, I discussed my inspiration for my dress, my fabric, and the alterations I made in greater detail.)

I really like the skirt of this dress. I love how the front panels hug the body as if it were a pencil skirt, even though there's a big puffy ruffle in the back! Bam!

Because the ruffle in the back is a little longer than the front, you can see the lining peeping through. Which I love because I used some AWESOME purple lining to match my purple-pinstripe fabric.

"Business Casual" In Progress--Pamella Roland V1265

I've been doing a lot of college interviews lately, and it has been posing challenges for my wardrobe. 

Most requests for an interview come with the dubious instruction to dress in "business casual". Well I don't really own a blazer or a pair of slacks, so I end up wearing a full pantsuit and heels, and then my interviewer looks at me like "This is your idea of CASUAL?!?!" and I make a bad joke about how I'm an attorney on my school's Mock Trial team and this is my Prosecution Suit.

So I decided that next up on my sewing queue had to be a garment that was sharp, business-themed, and stylish, but slightly less imposing than the suit I use when I'm (hypothetically) trying to send people to jail.

Pamella Roland to the rescue! Let's all agree that Pamella Roland has some amazing suitdress patterns!

V1233

V1279

Look at that action shot! V1232

And my muse...

V1265

I love this pattern! It's tailored, professional, and sophisticated, but it's also cute and even feminine. Where's the femininity, you ask? Wait a minute...

BOOM! RUFFLE! (Look at that sly smile, she knows she's wearing an awesome ruffle ;) )

I wanted my fabric to reflect the same business-with-a-twist aesthetic. After extensive searching I found a great fabric for a steal while fabric shopping in New York.

I bought this at Paron fabrics. I love the fact that it takes a typical, menswear-like pinstripe and puts a playful, feminine twist on it. Purple power pinstripe!