In Australian Stitches Vol 12, No 1, Cate Purcell showed us how she put together a wardrobe for a working mom. Her emphasis was on trendy looking clothes that were wash and wear. Now she has turned her attention to her weekend wardrobe, sewing garments that will work for her casual life. She saw that some of the tops from part one could be carried over into her weekend lifestyle, but she decided that pants and more tee tops were what she required.
Cate's casual wardrobe
The wrap top is Vogue 2759 made from a micro modal knit; the knit was very fine, but the cross over on the front prevents it from being too see-through. The tee shirt in both views 2 and 3 is Simplicity 5353 - the fabric is called Prato, since it was purchased in Australia, I am not sure what this fabric is but it looks like a cotton knit to me. The pants in view 2 are Burda 8316 made up in a striped fabric that works with all the tops.
The skirt in view 3 is the pink linen skirt from her first wardrobe collection - the pattern is Burda 8340.
More combinations
The top in View 4 is Simplicity 5255, with long sleeves; this is a variation on the twist top that was so popular when Burda brought it out in their summer 2005 WOF magazine. Several companies have a pattern similar to this now. Check out the pattern catalogs in your local fabric stores. The knit should be soft and stretchy enough that it can be twisted wtihout being bulky. The skirt is Burda 8361 made up in a knit fabric for Cate's first wardrobe capsule.
The pants are shown again in view 5, and the top is New Loow 6324 made up in a jacquard knit.
Cate's entire wardrobe consists of 14 new garments that mix and match to create more than 30 different combinations. As she says: "Having admitted to beign bad in the past and not keeping up with the theory of 'everyone should have a working wardrobe', I am now convinced that I'm never going to allow any mismatching, ill-fitting garments mysteriously find their way into my closet again". Cate carries in her handbag a small swatch of all the fabrics used. Now when she sees a piece of fabric or an accessory that she likes, she can know immediately if it will work with her existing pieces. Now, doesn't that make life simple?
All pictures were scanned from Australian Stitches Vol. 12, No 2.