Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Pep Up for Peplums!


So, apparently peplums are a trend. And chevrons. And stripes. That's not a big surprise to most people, but I'm always a little late on these things. Actually, when peplums first started showing up all over Pinterest and grocery store checkout magazines, I thought they looked absolutely ridiculous. Why would anyone want to wear a little circus tent around their hips? But, as is usually the case with me and fashion trends, I eventually came around to the idea, just like I did with pointy stilettos, riding boots, and drop waists. I'm still not a fan of harem pants, though. And if I ever write a blog post about how I've suddenly realized that harem pants are actually awesome, please start an intervention before I go ahead and sew a pair.

Testing range of motion: yay, the underarm seams held up!

Anyway, ever since my chevron BCT hack died in the laundry, I've been wanting to make another one. I had almost a yard of black and white striped knit leftover from my Hamburglar top, so I thought I would experiment with chevrons and peplums simultaneously. I took my not-a-Renfrew pattern, changed up the grain lines, and then played some Tetris trying to get all the pattern pieces to fit on my remaining fabric. It was a pretty close call, but I mostly managed -- I couldn't get chevrons on the back peplum and had to settle for vertical stripes there -- without having to sacrifice much of the overall look I wanted. I also ended up with a less full (less peppy?) peplum than I wanted, but that's okay. I'll ease into the look with a four-person camping tent before I go full-on circus big top.

I don't have to look at the back, so it doesn't bother me that it doesn't have chevrons. 

There's not much else to say about this top, since I've used this pattern so many times. I did have to bring my side seams in to get a tighter fit, since the original amount of ease just looked silly; they caused wrinkles of extra fabric, which distorted the chevrons, and the peplum just hung weirdly. I think if I were to do this again I would also curve the center front seam in under the bust. This would help the tee to hug my torso better; I usually ignore the looseness on tees that don't have a center seam, but since this "pattern" does have one, I might as well utilize it!

I managed to get the side seams to match up on top, but not on the peplum. Oh well. 

I'm pretty pleased with this top overall, but if I make another one I think I'll use a solid color for the neckband. It's a little too busy for my taste with the stripes, although it's not a deal breaker by any means. Even though I have another top made from the same fabric, I think this looks different enough that it doesn't feel redundant in my wardrobe. And of course, the black and white go with everything!

When you get closer, you can see that my chevrons are just the tiniest smidgen off.
 didn't care enough to pick my seam out of a fairly thick knit. 

Is anyone interested in a more in-depth tutorial on how to adapt a fitted tee pattern to make this top? Let me know! Or, you know, you can just scoff at how I fell for this trend.

I feel a little bit like one of those optical illusion posters. (Remind me to never wear this when teaching. One time I wore a similarly striped skirt, and a student actually asked me to stop wearing clothing that made him dizzy.)

And hey, if you haven't entered my fabric/pattern giveaway yet, it's still open for a couple more days!

27 comments:

  1. I love your blog and ideas...I would love a tutorial for the peplum!

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  2. Tutorial for a peplum top? Yes please. :) and im smiling thinking abt your student.

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  3. I love your blog, I've never commented on it before but I have to tell you that this chevron peplum top is adorable!

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  4. I'm with your student- that last shot makes your waist look even slimmer than it naturally is, but the strobing effect on the computer screen makes my head hurt.

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  5. So cute! Great line-matching! First time here on your blog. Love it!

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  6. Love your placement of the stripes! As always, you wear your creations so well :) I'm with you on the peplums (and many trends) - I'm either way ahead of a trend, or way behind....on this one I was both. I have a peplum blouse I love, from years ago, and yet I totally disliked most of what I saw this time around. But I'm coming around.....

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  7. This is gorgeous! So hypnotising...!!
    I am the same about being late to the peplum party.. only now am i jumping on board, but I dont know if its worth me sewing something only to have it go out of style soon :/

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  8. It's like an epic optical illusion of awesome! Chevron + peplum? You, good lady, are revolutionary! And super fun :)

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  9. Cute, and I like the striping on the neckline.

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  10. It's lovely. I've been thinking of making a blouse or something with a peplum, but I wasn't sure, but it looks great on you

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  11. A peplum is next on my list as well. Mine will be solid, but I love the look of the stripes. It's psychedelic and slimming!!

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  12. Optical illusion t shirt sounds like something from Think Geek. Your t shirt looks smart, and 2 man tentish in peplum awesomeness, which looks a perfect amount.

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  13. I love peplum tops and yours is fantastic! It's hard to tell my waist from my hips, and I think peplum tops (and skirts) give the illusion that there is a difference. I'm planning to sew up at least one knit peplum this fall and then a few more in woven fabrics for the spring. I love how you balanced the chevrons - I'll keep that as inspiration for the future!

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  14. I think your placement of chevrons and stripes is perfect! The vertical stripes on the back are slimming (which you don't need, but I certainly do!), and overall the top makes you look very curvy. I like! I still don't like peplums for me, I am way too curvy already without any accentuation.

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  15. I too am usually the last to know, or care about a new fashion trend. So much so that I had to Google "peplum" to find out exactly what you meant! I suppose I have seen that style coming around more, but the images that Google returned weren't nearly as engaging as your creation! I LOVE the chevron incorporated into the design and think you did a great job with it! I can relate to your student as well. Stripes have always had a mesmerizing effect on me. :)

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  16. Oh man, I am continuously envious of the things you make! Historically I don't like peplums, but for this shirt I make an exception. I also really love the contrast stripe neckband, and don't think it's at all too much. There's always room for more contrast stripes, I say!

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  17. I've only ever really liked peplums that are retro 50's. The modern ones are usually too exaggerated for my taste - but yours is nice and subtle! I like it and your stripe matching is wonderful!

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  18. Dangit I was not loving peplums and all of a sudden I want this one. Fantastic! I actually like the stripes on the neckline too.

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  19. Very cute!!! I love how you played with the stripes. I've yet to jump on the peplum train but, this one, being less full looks much more wearable. Hmm...

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  20. I love this top vey very much . You did a great job with the chevron pattern

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Thank you for taking the time to tell me your thoughts! I appreciate reading them and I try to reply to most, if not all, comments, especially when they are questions. I ask that you keep your comments polite, and if you're a spammer, don't bother because your comment will just be deleted! Also, if you're commenting on a post that's more than two weeks old, it will be moderated.