Come 'White' This Way to the Belk Spring Preview!

We're halfway through January and I hope everyone's new year is off to a great start! Mine is, with the exception of my sewing mojo taking a winter hiatus. But there is always one assured way to get my stitching juices flowing again -- having an event to attend!

When I reviewed my year and looked at all of my looks and OOTDs, I realized that I've been wearing black, black and more black -- a lot. So I needed to reach the opposite side of the spectrum, white! I love a great pair of white pants. But there are things that I require my white pants to be: crisp and tailored, wide-leg, loose fitting and NO pockets!

I reached for Vogue 9032 again. I used view B this time. The first time, I used view C. You really get your money's worth from this pattern. These are two completely different cuts of pants. The black pair is intended to be VERY fitted and flaring below the knee and IMO, they work best with a stretch woven. And probably a double knit also. This white pair is made in an Italian Doublecloth cotton (very much like a heavy twill) that I've had in my stash for a while. I'd purchased it for a lightweight, spring type of coat, but I decided it would work for these pants.

My favorite detail of these pants is the back princess seams. For this pair, I lengthened by 5 inches. I like for my wide-leg pants to be LONG. Like ground-skimming long. I feel this is really subjective, so I'm not even open to debate on my pant length. It's a matter of taste -- in this case, mine. Wide-leg pants look odd to me if they don't graze the floor, but I'm not going to quibble with you if you don't like yours long.

Backstory: I've always been a tall girl, and I'm very particular about length. It was always a struggle when shopping for RTW, which is one of the main reasons I took to sewing. I could never find sleeves long enough and I've always stacked bracelets to fill in the gap. (See, there's always been a reason for my love of over accessorizing). And skirts and dresses from RTW always bordered on being a tad too short. When I use to wear suits to work, I would always catch a side-eye from some of the ladies in my office -- as if it were deliberate. And for pants, my favorite trick was to buy cuffed dress trousers (Jones New York and Ellen Tracy were the best) and let down the cuff for the extra length. So yes, I'm really anal about length.

I love that this pattern is drafted with a very deep hem of 3". And I weigh my hems down with quarters on each side seam, right in the fold. I guess you can call them my "Dollar Hem".

I cut the size 14. I had to take in the waist. My waist is currently 11 inches smaller than my hip measurement. The only thing about these pants that I don't like is the lack of belt loops. I could really have benefited with the ability to wear a belt. I feel if you don't over-fit them, then they're not going to stay up. But muffin tops ain't cute! And I omitted the pockets. I've discussed pocket-show-through on this blog and I'm pretty sure that it's been discussed ad nauseam throughout the sewing blogosphere. It's not a good look.

To quote Arlene Goldstein: "The modern Southern woman likes a completer piece." And I wholeheartedly agree! It's not an outfit unless it's punctuated with some sort of jacket, sweater, coat, etc... Vogue 8780 has been in my sewing queue for the longest. I decided to make my version in a deep red wool melton from my stash. This is the quickest version of a coat that I've ever made. I cut and sewed it yesterday morning and was out the door in it by 4:30 pm.

I cut the size medium and made it straight from the envelope. Now, they didn't specifically say that this pattern was drafted for fabric with stretch or "give", but it could've been a catastrophe with the sleeve situation. They are pretty narrow. I would advise you to measure your biceps and forearms against the pattern piece. And this coat will never be able to be worn over a thick sweater. I knew it might be a situation when I attempted to hem the sleeves and it wouldn't fit over the free arm of my machine. But it worked out... barely! LOL

Other than that, this was a really quick piece to make because it required no lining and has a raw-edge finish. Even though it's wool, it's not the warmest but it was fine from my car to my venue. And I could also keep it on as part of my outfit.
Let's talk Belk Fashion Buzz and what's hot for Spring!

Here's a brief overview: Belk's Spring '15 - "Modern Mash-Up", presented by Arlene Goldstein, Belk Vice-President of Fashion & Trend Merchandising.

Sporty Chic - performance fabrics like jersey, nylon, athletic-inspired hoodies, bombers and stylish sneakers.

Spare Me - A-line, columns and trumpet skirts, along with tunics, over-sized shirtings. This collection looks most like my personal aesthetic and the one I found most interesting.

Islander - pattern mixes, wraps, exotic details, eye-catching bright colors.

Garden Party - dreamy pales, whites, florals and lace-like textiles

I love these gatherings because it's always great to run into and catch up with my favorite local bloggers and journalists from local publications.

And no event is complete without a great gift bag! Now as I type this and it's about about 30 degrees outside with freezing fog, I'm so excited and looking forward to spring!