Knit Dress + Tights = Comfort and Happiness

New goal: reduce the number of items congregating around my waist in winter clothing. On a cold day, a jeans-and-top type of outfit could include pants, long underwear, underwear, undershirt and shirt--and all of these would be stopping somewhere in the region around my middle.

Putting the issue of flattering a middle-aged figure aside for a moment, the process of keeping all these bits and pieces in the right position with relation to one another makes me crazy over the course of a day.

So I am exploring different outfit formulas that minimize the number of things that meet around my middle. Dress + tights (with the addition of scarves and a cardigan for warmth when needed) could be a great formula.

Simple as it is, I am still enjoying New Look 6700, an oldie but goody from the (guessing) late 80s or early 90s.

To eliminate the need for a separate half slip (another thing sitting at the waist!), I lined the skirt portion of the dress with knit tricot. This could work out really well. The tricot is almost weightless, inexpensive and it should eliminate any clinging to my tights or leggings. I must wait to see if static becomes a problem in the dry winter air.

The sleeves and flower are from a former tube dress, found at the Goodwill Outlet (locally known as "the bins"), where everything is sold by the pound. This piece of trash/treasure probably cost about 50 cents (it was one of several items, so I don't know exactly, but a tube dress is not heavy). Of course I should have taken a photo of the piece before cutting it up, but it was this type of dress:

I used the shirred portion of the bodice to make the lower edge of the sleeves. Although it was a little difficult to line up for cutting, it worked out great. I love a tight-fitting lower sleeve; it keeps me warmer and makes layering cardigans much easier.

Not a fan of this view, but I am committed to honest reporting and an honest self-image. I added some darts to the area of the lower back to reduce the excess fabric there.

Even though the colors are not the greatest on me, I know I will be reaching for this dress a lot this fall and winter: something easy to throw on, with less bulk around the middle.