In the Navy

Meet my New Year's eve outfit:

Oooh, navy on navy. How do they look so different? These are the Clover pants and V8323.

This completely poseur-y shot was actually taken while I was adjusting my hair (all 1 inch of it). But it shows the lines of the outfit well, I think.

This equally poseur-y shot is for y'all cuz I think you all deserve a kiss!

This nice-girl photo is for my mother, cuz she loves shots like this...

I can't tell you how it thrills me to wear an outfit entirely of my own construction!

Now, you may know that I was taking some big time chances on the centre back (my alteration) invisible zipper holding up. I figured, in a worst case scenario it could be a fun "OMG, 2011 totally sucked" story: There I was, raising a glass of bubbly and my freakin' pants fell apart. At a party?!? I am SO ready for 2012...

I definitely need to slender out a smidge before wearing them again. But I do think they're going to be go-to pants when I lose a bit of volume in my derriere, post-Xmas.

The Good:

• I'm super pleased by the pants crotch length and depth, which I altered to suit my shape.
• I did really nice work on the facing at the back zip by morphing up the instructions for the Clovers and the Ginger skirt (which has a back zipper). I'm starting to get with that insertion technique Sarai espouses, which I didn't like at first. It really is freakin' clean, if you can get it to work.
• I finally realized that, when you alter the waistline of your pants, you will absolutely need to alter the waistband and facing: where they sit, where they seam, maybe even how they're curved (slightly). It's not rocket science but it is finicky and time-consuming.
• And let's give me a pat on the back for moving the zipper in the first place. Of course, it was probably harder than just figuring out how to get the zipper to insert nicely at the curved side seam, but you live, you learn.
  
• I think that the adjustments I made on the second version of V8323 really do improve the proportions on me. The neck is notably less chokey.
• I also like the peplum bestowed on the design by virtue of the drape of the fabric. It's nice and flowy.
• I LOVE both fabrics - colour (obvs, if I had to choose 1 colour to wear for the rest of my life it would easily be navy) and hand/drape of each. Both sewed very evenly.

The Less Good:

• I really don't love invisible zippers on stress points. I can see how they're a smarter zip for a side opening, than a centre-back opening.
• The pants are too tight right now, but it's not a critical issue. I can tell that they're tight where I've gained a bit of mass over the hols.
  

What I have observed about my wardrobe is that I wear my own handiwork most days - sometimes one piece, sometimes an entire outfit including scarf and coat?! Also, can we chat about the hand-made coat for a second? I cannot believe I made it. I must have been high on drugs to undertake hand tailoring when sewing for less than a year. And, sadly, I can't wrap my brain around ever wanting to do something so complex again. But look, it's NAVY!

What's your default sewing colour?