FINISHED! Paris almost cropped box with culottes

In January, I met up with InnaJoLisaJulie BarbaraNinie (later for dinner) in Paris. Gosh it was such a great day and night!! I'm still to properly write up where we went and what I bought but the last shop that we went to was a very special place De Gilles Tissus (156, rue de la Roquette  75011) . I bought one piece. A metre only of this (not cheap) 1970s vintage wool, the selvedge said G Petillault Paris. Well how could I leave it there?! The colour, apart from matching Inna's coat, is absolute perfection. The original plan was to make a boxy top out of it. So I did.  
I wanted my boxy top to have a roundish neck, dropped shoulders and a kick at the bottom. I think it works.  Unbelievably, I found it difficult to find a good box top that I liked/had so reworked what looks to be the only pattern (from recent makes) that I own. I adjusted the back piece so that all the checks lined up at the shoulder. The back has a button closure.
Where possible, the seams are finished, opened and then sewed down or like on the sleeve, I finished the sleeve together and then stitched down. I lined it with a blue voile. I had some slippery stuff in the stash, but felt a bit anxious with this make as I so wanted it to be great, so went with the voile. It makes it a bit more difficult to wear a shirt underneath but that's ok.
Ok, so it's not perfect. I could have shortened the sleeves by an inch but the biggest thing is my lack of courage with the length.  I think I wanted it to be a crop, but at the last minute chickened out and made it an almost crop. The length of this top needs a shirt underneath to be worn with skinny jeans for me.  It is ok with these culottes but could have been shorter to show the high waist of the culottes and be just a bit more flattering - but if I'd done that then I feel it would have been too short to wear with anything else... so maybe it's a good compromise after all.
Culottes I hear you say! Another pair!?? Yep.  I made the top and knew immediately that it needed a pair of Girl Friday Culottes.  Hooray for stash. Last year I bought this slightly textured (with a bit of stretch) navy wool from Addicted to Fabric, to make a pair of Colette Clover pants... they never got made because frankly I never felt like sewing up something so 'basic wardrobe'. But these fit my wardrobe perfectly.  And so refreshing to make something with plain fabric! I think I'm still making my culottes a size too big, but am managing to fix it in the waist band. You would think after this pair and this one I'd have nailed this fit aspect!
Despite any minor imperfections with the proportions of the top, I'm really happy with this whole outfit. In fact, Jo just wrote a post proclaiming the virtues of this very silhouette and I am in total agreement. It is so comfortable, and I'm just so happy I have this top in my wardrobe that just about matches the idea I had in Paris and reminds me of that great day. 

43 comments:

  1. Such a gorgeous vibrant colour! I think you got the length just right. Great for autumn and winter.

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  2. Great boxy top! I know what you mean with that "almost" but I think that paired with your coulottes it is a quite balanced silhouette. Again, very You!

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  3. Very chic. Love that shocking pink and the boxy top looks so good on you.

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  4. Oh, I love this! That fabric is amazing and demands a striking silhouette. I've been drawn down this culotte and crop top path, it is tricky to figure out some new to me hem lengths but fun to play with. I think I'm resigning myself to wearing shirts underneath cropped tops because they need to be pretty short to show off a truly high waist, at least on me.

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  5. This is great! I love the hot pink with the black. This is the exact outfit I have been wearing every other day ALL winter (and I still love it on you! Which is saying something!) and almost the identical silhouette. It gets a wee bit colder here than Canberra so I was layering a merino turtleneck and fleece lined tights underneath them. I found it so comfortable and warm (warmer even than skinny jeans which you can't really layer).Oh but that pink - just had to scroll up again for another peek - lucky I don't live near you or I'd be sneaking by to pink it ;-)

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  6. Fabulousness! How special to get that 70s French fabric, you have created a beauty. X

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  7. Yay! So glad it turned out well - it looks GREAT! Really cool with the sleeves turned up a bit too, with the blue lining 'cuff'. I'm totally going to copy the boxy top+culottes idea for summer too!

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  8. What a fantastic outfit! I love this silhouette on you. I also love the fullness of the top - it's just perfect!

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  9. I love the side view especially - it looks like it has a great swing to it! Love the colour. :)

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  10. Love the pop of blue voile when you roll up the sleeves! This outfit is such a winner.

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  11. That pink fabric is to die for! What a great combination - I think you got it perfect :)

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  12. So perfect, the silhouette (I like the not-quite-cropped practicality), the amazing colours and just everything really - I can't wait to see this IRL one day ;)

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  13. I think you did the right thing with the cropped top. I had the same dilemma with my cropped top recently. I ended up cropping it too much to wear with jeans, but for me I really made it exclusively to wear with the wide-legged, high-waisted pants. This gives you so many more options and I still think you go the proportions right. That wool is divine. And anything vintage it a winner :)

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  14. I absolutely adore your whole outfit Kirsty. The pink is perfect and I think the length is great - very wearable with jeans. I think given it was such a precious piece of fabric, erring on the side of caution was the right thing to do.

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  15. As always you look fantastic! The colour of that wool is perfection. I'm a sucker for a bit of pink. I think the length is great. More versatile than a crop and you feel comfortable in it so you'll get lots of wear out of it.

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  16. I have no words. Except that may be the most perfect fabric EVER! This is a perfect silhouette for it too :D

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  17. The colour of that wool is stunning... and I think you are right about the length of the cropped top ... to really be able to wear a cropped top one needs to transition to high waist and I personally only have two high waist things in my wardrobe so I think the length you went with is a pretty good compromise. I love those culottes I definitely see a pair of "girl friday"s in my future ;)

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  18. I think this suits you so well. and i love love it

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  19. I always feel super self conscious with top that is too cropped so I think I did the right thing with this length. How amazing is the colour!!

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  20. I might just have to wear it to Dior and I Saturday night xx

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  21. Oh there was no way I was leaving without some of this! The colour! Pink is underrated!

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  22. Thanks Rachel. I think it will work great with jeans as well. I just now need a shirt to put under it for a bit of layering.

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  23. Your groovy top now needs a pair of high waisted ginger jeans!

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  24. If I make down to Melb in the cool weather - this will be on me!!!!

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  25. I must admit I stole that idea from a top on the fabric store blog! I think I now need some of that orange and blue wool from there to make another one of these... these culottes need more than one top!

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  26. Thanks Gail. I was worried a little bit about the fullness but I think come winter it won't worry me at all.

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  27. The boxy culottes is the way to go. Have you decided to adjust the Tania culottes ?

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  28. Thanks Leah. Yes, I think this will be a real treasure!

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  29. That is saying something!! I wish I'd bought more of the pink but it's probably just the right amount really. I have already been trying it on with my turtle necks and boots. I'm really looking forward to winter now.

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  30. Thanks Marilla! It was such a great day it's so nice to have a reminder of it! Next time you should join us or maybe, just maybe, I'll make my way across the channel.

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  31. Thanks Jennifer and I agree, the length is tricky and I just don't have the courage to go cropped without a shirt. Even this one, which is a bit longer than it should have been needs a shirt underneath for layering when I wear it with jeans.

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  32. Oh yes, defo keep me updated if you come this way again and I will try my hardest to get over there for a cheeky shopping triip. That would be totally amazing!!!

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  33. It looks even more fabulous in person than in the photos! The silhouette here really suits you, Kirst. And those culottes are divine.

    Hooray for souvenir fabric sewing!!

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  34. A bit late in commenting but I just love this make! That fabric is absolutely divine & I love the silhouette - you've got such great style Kirsty!

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  35. Thanks Michelle and yes hooray to holidays and souvenir makes.

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  36. Lovely lovely make!

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