I’ve been coveting this pattern ever since an accidental encounter at the Vintage Sewing Patterns Wiki : There I was, clicking the “Random Page” generator for interesting new finds and there Butterick 5230 was, languishing innocently in it’s unassuming corner. It was love at first sight.
My first experience with a convertible dress was a few years back from American Apparel.
Although it seemed really cool at the time, it pales in comparison with the original superior version from the 70’s. I also hated the lycra blend that was extremely unforgiving if say…holiday bulge was still a lingering factor. It’s short, and tight, and skimpy, and now when I think about it, not at all my style. Curse the convertible factor that lured me into that impulse purchase!
Come to think of it, I don’t remember even wearing this dress. Ever. Then again, who can blame me for not wanting to look like a impeccably dressed prostitute.
Fortuitously, I found an improved version when I wasn’t even looking! During a stint of online shopping in preparation for my upcoming vacation in Miami, I stumbled upon Victoria’s Secret’s Two Tone Wrap Dress from the Convertible Collection in lavender & cream and couldn’t click “Send Order” fast enough:
PERFECTION! This is pride in ownership at its finest!
Just arrived today, it’s more of a greyish taupe as opposed to a purple-y lavender, but this discrepancy actually works more to my advantage. I prefer muted neutrals, so while the color palette in my closet is hardly exciting, most of clothes automatically match in it’s monochrome scale. And the dress is absolutely gorgeous. It’s a buttery soft jersey with mile long straps, and is reversible to boot. On sale for $49.99, it’s pretty much a darn steal.
Available also in a range of solid colors, it appears that the Two Tone is relatively low in-stock. I tried to order the same dress in brown, and it was unfortunately sold out in my size.
I’m now officially obsessed with these dresses. Now that I’ve ordered some stretch jersey on Fabric.com, I just need to acquire the appropriate dress pattern for stitching up the homemade variety.
Leave a comment