Yellow silk two-piece
Two-Piece Wardrobe Ideas
Before we get started you can buy your matching set of Cara Top & Spring Trousers at a slightly discounted price here.
-
This week I've been feeling flowy in yellow silk!
This is one of the boldest outfits I've made recently and I'm really pleased with the result.
For me it's one of those summers with a fair few weddings and I've been excited to create an outfit that is elegant and comfortable at the same time.
I want to feel breezy and completely unrestricted in how I can move. I want an element of stylish confidence and design flare. And I also want it to be practical with good pockets and a waistband that accommodates a full belly of food...!
It's always important to me that the fabric is made from natural fibres and I find that most of what I make is in cotton. So it was a treat to work with silk this time. The different texture has opened my eyes to how the fibre really affects the mood of the garment - it's been nice to step from casual daily clothing to a more sophisticated look.
Make notes:
Having decided I was going to make a two-piece matching outfit I had a look through my fabric boxes to find something suitable. I found this lovely silk that my parents brought back from India a few years ago. I hunted down a dye suitable for silk and then set about dyeing the fabric by hand in a huge vat on my parents aga.
This process was really so satisfying and a lot easier than I had anticipated. I left the fabric in the dye for only 25 minutes as I didn't want a super deep colour, and as it's silk it really absorbs the colour. I stirred the pot constantly for the whole duration to make sure the colour was completely even and I was really happy with the colour that it dried to.
When it came to making the pieces I already had the Cara Top and Spring Trousers in mind. I made them straight out of the box with just one alteration.
The Spring Trousers features a semi elasticated back waistband where the elastic is stitched in the middle third of the back width. I decided to stitch it at the side seams to make sure the silk didn't start to pull and rip and for this I just used a slightly longer piece of elastic (measured to my body) and stitched it in at the side seams.
I made a size 10 in both garments. I'm 5ft10 and a UK size 10/S.
Things to consider:
If you're thinking about making this two-piece I thought I'd share a few pointers to think about before diving in:
- A matching outfit is such a bold statement that the buttons have to be exceptionally well matched with the style. They will really pop off the mono-colour look so it's worth really digging to find ones that will do the outfit justice
- If you're using a really drapey fabric you might like to consider replacing the zip on the trousers with sturdy snaps sewn to the inside of the fly instead. As this style is so drapey the fly doesn't need to be super strong so this is a nice option for more delicate fabrics.
- If you're going for a bold colour do you already have a jacket that works with it? Consider finding a fabric that slots in really well with your current jackets and accessories.
- If the prospect of french seaming a super slippery fabric is putting you off just overlock the raw edges instead. I must confess the Cara Top I made is not french seamed, just overlocked...
Buy your matching set at a slightly discounted price here.
