Predictably, it’s late spring and I’m thinking that classic button-ups would be a good summer uniform. Unlike the last Summer of Shirts, I’m a lot faster now so I might be able to get a few made before I realize yet again that they’re TOO hot for real summer.
But for now, the timing works: Closet Core launched a new pattern just in time for Summer of Shirts 2.0 and I have a lot of shirting in my stash to sew through. This is their Jenna Shirt and it’s 90% great:
The pros: The details are great, very classic menswear. The tower placket instructions were clear and the collar stand instructions were brilliant–they use a whole new order that gives a beautiful finish.
The cons: I had to reduce the curve radius on the hem to get a smooth finish and now that the shirt is done, I’m not loving the small collar and how it all sits. The shirt wants to pull to the back, which RTW shirts do on me too, so it might be that the drafting is fine and I just need to do a forward shoulder adjustment. However, all the pattern photos show the collar either popped or buttoned all the way up, so I’m a little suspicious …
The fabric was from my stash, originally from Farmhouse Fabrics. (I think I moved it to this house from my apartment, it’s that old). I had a three yard cut because I bought it in my dress era and just never used it, thinking “someday” I’d need a shirt dress to wear on the Amalfi coast or something. In the spirit of dressing for the life I have NOW, I used the extra fabric to make a pair of shorts for a matching set, like I see on Pinterest.
I used the LearnMYOG DIAS pattern for the shorts, because I knew they fit and had excellent pockets. (I never blogged them but I made a pair in Supplex last summer, seen here.) In a nice shirting vs a technical fabric, they read more “boxer,” which is just what I wanted, and the back welt pocket adds a nice touch.
Hopefully the shorts help me keep Summer of Shirts going a little longer into the actual summer. I can always wear the shirt as a jacket, too.