Today’s project is not a fail in itself: a top-notch pattern (if I say so myself), a fabric with great drape, a print I love, and a pretty good result altogether. But getting a garment right on paper doesn’t always mean you’ll actually wear it!

With the Sirocco jumpsuit invasion of this summer, I really wanted to sew a short version to supplement my long floral one. If you know me a bit, you might know that I’m really into prints in the summer, especially tropical ones (foliage, flamingos and co.). What better than a tropical print for a summery jumpsuit? As it happens, I had in my stash a rayon-elastane jersey knit with such a print, and I thought it would be perfect for this project.

“Do as I say, not as I do.” Yep, because we advise against using rayon knits for Sirocco, since they’re generally way too drapey for the structured lines of this jumpsuit! Still, I’m trying to limit my fabric purchases while I make my way through my stash, and I wanted to avoid ordering something especially for that project. This jersey knit had been in my stash for two years; I had bought it at Toto tissus with a maxi knit dress in mind (this Burda pattern), but since I already had a tropical leaves print maxi knit dress, it seemed a little redundant.

Of course, with the drape and vertical stretch of this fabric, the final result was wider and much longer than expected. I ended up shortening the legs by 3 cm, which with the dropped crotch gives a little bit of a retro playsuit feel that I’m really into. The neckline tends to shift a lot and is not very bra-friendly, which doesn’t actually bother me that much (with Magnolia and Pensée I got used to going bra-less, especially in the summer). The bright side is that it gives the bodice a chic drapey look that I like.

Some ideas to improve the fit in a fabric that is slightly too heavy or drapey: shortening the neckband a little so it stays close to the body, and most importantly lining the waistband to create a casing in which to insert a wide elastic. This would help support the jumpsuit at the waist to stop the fabric pulling down too much.

The good thing about waiting to post a project on this blog is that it gives me some hindsight on the garment after several months of wearing it (or not). Now that I think about it, I’ve only worn this jumpsuit two or three times during the whole summer, even though the weather was perfect for it. I think the color is a little unflattering on me (too yellow for my cold skintone – even worse with the yellow walls on these pictures!) and the structured/dressy feel of Sirocco is not so “me” either. I don’t wear my first version that much, even though I love it: the strong shoulders and pleated pants are pretty far from my personal style, in the end. But the story has a happy ending: I gave this version to my friend Diane (who was already posing for the Sirocco pictures on the shop), on whom the color looks much better, and my friend Agathe got the black version from the photoshoot, which fits her style much more than mine. Sometimes, it’s not worth clinging to garments if you don’t feel yourself wearing them – that’s actually one of the topics in the book we’re working on, hehe 😉

Topical Sirocco
Sirocco – Deer&Doe
Size 38 bust & waist / 42 hips
Waistband lengthened by 1 cm
Rise lengthened by 1 cm
Legs shortened by 3 cm
Rayon-elastane jersey knit from Toto Tissus

Sewing

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