Vogue 1440

 This top is from Vogue 1440, a Donna Karan design that I gushed about here.  I really think this little blouse is the highlight of that pattern, not the jacket thing.   (I promise my hems match up!! - drives me nuts when that happens in photos)

The only change I made was to make the darts about twice as wide at the bottom, tapering to the bust point.  It was just a smidge too tent-like as drafted.  I think it still has a nice fluid shape while helping me avoid pregnancy questions.

 I adore the back detail.  I'm not usually a fan of racer-back styles on me, but I think this looks fine, and the seams are just really different.

Everything is finished beautifully, too, both inside and outside (thanks to the pattern instructions).  There is a fair amount of top-stitching, which you can't see well on mine since it is white on white.  My fabric is a cotton/linen from JoAnn's.  It was nice and cool to wear yesterday (it's 90 degrees this week already!)

Oops, you can see my cami a bit on the right up there. I wore this with a nude X-back adjustable bra and a cami that I retrofitted for this top by tying the straps together with some heavy duty thread. ;-)  I think I would have been fine without a cami, but the shirt was see-through enough that there was a distracting line where my black pants started.  I'll have to experiment with an outfit that wouldn't require a layer underneath, to maximize the cool cotton/linen factor.

I also like the detail of the covered button placket.  The only interfacing is in the collar and collar stand.  I used silk organza, and it lays very nicely, definitely the best result I've had with a collared shirt behaving.  I'm glad I didn't use fusible.

This pattern is definitely a "win."  I think I'll try it tucked into a skirt, also, and see if the volume isn't too much.  That would be a great, cool summer look.  It's all about staying cool on the bike rides for school pickup now. :-)