What I learned from Summer...the sundress edition

I have trouble believing it has been two months since I posted a picture of the sundresses I purchased to get me through my first Knoxville summer.  I never intended the lag between the posts to develop into such a chasm, but now that autumnal weather finally seems to be settling in it seems to be a good time to clean up unfinished business from the last season. 

 

All four sundresses were successful in that they were comfortable, presentable, and allowed me to get through the summer without fretting or worrying.  None of them were perfect in that I do not see them becoming mainstays of my wardrobe, a couple of them will not even last until next summer, but the effects of this experiment will be with me a long time as they really helped me focus and refine my thoughts.

 

Lets start with the extremes.  My favorite dress was the blue knit dress, and my least favorite was the red.    They had much to recommend them.  The fabric draped nicely and felt fairly cool for a knit.  They were comfortable on all but the most humid days, and I felt they really handled the heat and humidity well for the most part.  I liked the shaping at the top, the slight empire-line and the bit of a bubble shape to the skirt which kept the dress away from the body enough that it did not cling, a boon in hot humid weather.  I also liked the wide faced band at the hem, which weighted the skirt and allowed it to hang gracefully.

 

 

So what distinguished the two?  Why is one on the best list and the other slated for the discard pile?  One feature is length.  You will notice from the picture that the blue dress is slightly longer than the red dress.  Although you cannot tell this from the photo at right, the blue dress hangs right to the center of the knee-cap.  This is a very flattering length on me, and it makes the dress much more versatile as it is equally flattering with flat sandals or heels and a jacket or cardigan. The length, combined with the color make it a dress that can be worn three seasons of the year.

 

The red dress, which is the first one I bought, hits at the top of the knee.  It is cute as a casual summer garment.  But that is all.  It looks off when worn with more serious shoes or a jacket.  It cannot be dressed up and taken out someplace nice; it is merely a play dress, and therefore its usefulness is limited.

 

Also the fabric on these dresses was not ideal.  The rayon knit had a nice weight which allowed it drape well.  But both dresses pilled terribly, especially under the arms.  This is most evident in the lighter color of  the red dress, which looks quite worn after one season.    Granted, I wore each dress at least once a week for 5 months, but I think the cost was still too high for a dress that will really only survive one season.  The blue dress is still being worn and will work well throughout the fall and probably even into the early spring.  However it will not be presentable for another summer of wear. And yet, these dresses will live on as inpsiration for a new summer dress next year.  Come spring, when the blue dress is looking tired, I shall use it to make a pattern for a new summer dress, where it will beget many generations of future summer dresses.

 

 

But what about the two linen sundresses? They were perfectly nice dresses and they perfectly fulfilled the role I anticipated for them so I cannot say that they were anything but successes.  The linen was comfortable in hot humid weather. I wanted something swishy and long that would feel graceful and protect my legs from the summer sun without having to resort to sunscreen.But I liked the way the knit dresses looked on me more than I liked the two linen dresses.  They weren't awful, but I think there is room for improvement.  The long length paired with the width of the skirt made me feel dumpy.  I don't actually mind the fact that I have hips, but in the dress I felt like my short legs looked even shorter.

 

 

I wonder if I would like this dress better if the skirt were a little narrower such as is seen in this pattern by Burda. And there is nothing at all wrong with a princess-seamed knee-length linen dress. In the end I may decide that I prefer shorter skirts.  I have certainly discovered that I love knee-length pencil skirts in any season, and a flared skirt which hits at the knee is certainly more slimming and graceful in many ways than a long skirt.  

 

 

I started the summer wanting dresses but not really knowing what kind of dresses I wanted.  Increasingly I seem to be leaning toward simple shapes at about knee length, but there is no harm in exploring other options.  Next spring I can play with refashioning these dresses into something that not only will get me through another season, but which I might actually love to wear.