I originally bought this lemon print poplin to make a dress for The New Craft House summer party back in August, which had an Italian Riviera theme. The only problem was, I didn't like it - I wasn't sold on the quality of the cotton or how, erm, yellow the lemons were!
Fast forward a couple of months and I couldn't be happier that I had a change of heart.
It's all thanks to a good friend of mine getting married in Italy - Tuscany to be precise. The night before the wedding, the lovely couple hosted a welcome dinner and I wanted to wear something a little 'extra' for the occasion. I figured it was better to do it then, than to distract people with an extravagant outfit on the actual wedding day.
I dug this fabric back out and was immediately drawn to the Deer and Doe Myosotis Dress pattern...a match made in heaven.
Unlike my first and second version, I lengthened the skirt piece for a midi look this time. I'm not sure I nailed the length, but it's grown on me (pun fully intended) since the wedding.
Once again, I added waist ties for extra shaping and I omitted the mandarin collar. I really, really love this cleaner neckline on me. To realise my over-the-top Italian dress vision, I chose the biggest, baddest, goldest buttons in my stash.
I don't normally share location photos as I'm too self-conscious to take them, but a Tuscan backdrop was too hard to resist. This dress got SO many compliments on the night, which helped to resolve any reservations I had about it. It was a slow burner, but I think it's true love.
