I don’t know how you feel about clothes and the way you look in general, but for me, the way I present myself says a lot about who I am. I like for my clothes to reflect my personality. In the day to day grind at home, when I’m with the kids all day long, you might find me in yoga pants and a t-shirt. But when I’m out, I like to look a bit more polished, and I find it lifts my spirit tremendously and in turn makes me feel put together (a lot of times more so than I really am). I can hear a dissenting voice saying, “You shouldn’t dress to impress”, but I dress the way I do for me and as a side note, I do think its okay to dress to impress. Our appearance says a lot about us.

Cue my latest skirt. It has all the elements that are so positively Meredith, from the silhouette to the deep, rich colors and design, this skirt couldn’t possibly suit my personality better.

I actually made this skirt’s twin prior to making this one for me. A friend in NYC reached out and asked me to make one for her, and after considering the combination, I went ahead and ordered double the fabric to make one for myself because I knew I would envy her endlessly if I didn’t. What’s a girl to do?

I’ve blogged about the collection this Earthly Delights print is a part of before, but I see no harm in continuing to tout its beauty to my dear readers lest you remain unconvinced. This beautiful fabric was released from Liberty last year as part of their Garden of Temptation line which is inspired by the opulent art of the Renaissance Period (my favorite!) I love the lavish design which is painted so perfectly in this rich, deep palette. I don’t have a link to share as it seems to be sold out everywhere.

I’ve also sung the praises of this skirt pattern in the past. Its La Parisienne en Ete by the French based company, Louis Antionette. Jones & Vandermeer is the exclusive US seller of this brand, and that is where I got my pattern which is fully in French and English (and so well put together). Its a staple in my wardrobe and pattern library.

Of course it has pockets. I asserted last week, that no skirted pattern will lack pockets in the future. They are far too necessary to do without.

On another note, I am learning how to dress for cooler weather. I fumbled through our first winter here, and I felt like I was on a steep learning curve in the wardrobe department. I finally gave in and bought some tights, but then waited a few weeks before talking myself into wearing them. The same story applies to boots, which I bought when I discovered that tights don’t pair well with Keds which were my cold weather shoes in Florida. I’ve never owned either and I felt silly wearing them. I think other people look great in tights, but constantly had thoughts about how strange I must look with legs that are a different color than the rest of my body. Somehow I am more comfortable in this burgundy color than black. Don’t ask me why that is, because I don’t know. I would think the more neutral color would have felt safer to me, but not so. I ripped two pairs of tights the first time wearing them when my ring snagged them and created a huge run down my leg. If you have a tip to avoid this snafu, I’m all ears. I felt pretty foolish walking around like that.

As much as I have loved winter, and I truly have, I am happy to be moving into spring which is a season I feel more at home in. I’m all about the 3/4 sleeve cardigans over lawn dresses and lightweight shirts that don’t need to be covered with coats.

Tomorrow I’ll share a new dress I made from a perfectly sunny lawn that I think you’ll love! See you back here then.

-Meredith