Of all the dresses I sewed while developing the Tomigaya Shirt Dress pattern , this is my favorite.
You know I love black. The color has been baked into me after so many years living in New York. I love to layer it, play with sheerness and textures to give it dimension and depth, but there are so many ways to wear black. Th
This Tomigaya Shirt Dress is black linen from Gray Lines Linen in NYC. When we lived there I used to buy black, navy, white, and unbleached linen from them in 5- and 10-yard quantities because I sewed so much of it. I’m still using some of it, but I’m running out! I wore it on a recent trip to Bilbao and the dress was very comfortable. Plus, I think it fit right in with the vibe of the city and the Guggenheim Museum, which is a favorite. So much good art there! I’m a big fan of the Richard Serra.
This is View A with some length added to the skirt, no other changes. I’ve be wearing it with this Elsa Peretti belt gifted me by my dear friend Whitney, but I’m also looking forward to adding jackets, sweaters, and tall boots this fall and winter and, in the summer, with the sleeves rolled and with sandals. I’ll show you some of the ways I’m planning to style it soon. The linen is lightweight enough for spring and summer but substantial enough that it will still be comfortable during our (Madrid) autumns and winters–especially if I wear layers and tights. I look forward to when the linen relaxes a little after it’s been washed and worn a few times so it will feel more lived in and have a bit more casual. I’ve been realizing lately that my style is very much classic with a high-low feeling. I don’t want to be too casual or too dressy, so I’m always mixing a bit of both, and the length and color of this dress means I need it to develop a bit of a patina in order to that criteria.
I know not everyone likes to wear their dresses this long, but when you’re tall like I am sometimes it just suits me better. I think I remember adding about 8″ to the skirt length, but don’t quote me on that. I usually add quite a bit and just trim off the excess when I hem it.
Have you chosen a fabric for this style yet? I’m curious what you’re thinking about for it! You can pick up your own copy of this pattern in paper or in digital format, and if you want to learn more about it here is my introduction to the style and more information about fabric and styling this dress.