Oh, la lacroix!

Take a look at this fabric (the colour is a bit off in this picture, the ones at the end of this post show it properly):

I picked it up at the market about a year ago. It was on sale for 1 euro a meter and there was another colourway as well (which I didn't like: yellow instead of read and pinks where this one has blues...). I liked the unusual print: wild, random flowers on a large scale. And looking closer, I was puzzled by the signature: Christian Lacroix. What the...

I don't know if it's 'real' or not. A lot of market sellers buy remnants where-ever they can find them so this could be genuine designer fabric left over from a collection years ago. It could also be a fabric produced for some Christian Lacroix line but never used there and sold off by the bolt. And of course, it's very likely to be some kind of fake. But even then it's probably based on the look of some Lacroix collection. I'd like to know which one. 

Christian Lacroix is not a designer I know a lot about. 

The fabric is a bit out of my comfort zone. I usually go for plain fabrics or small, un-obstrusive prints. But I like this one. It looks fresh and summery. And it's a lovely soft but stable cotton.

Because the fabric is so bold, I thought it would be best to make a simple garment. A short sleeved shirt.

I thought about kimono sleeves but then I decided it would be good to break up this huge print with seams.

So, this is what I went with: a very basic design (and a rather rough sketch). Convertible collar, back yoke with small pleats, plain, normally set short sleeves. The only slightly unusual feature being the bust darts which rise, 'French dart' style, from the waistline. I may or may not add back darts. 

In my mind, this is a shirt to wear tucked into my high waisted skirts or trousers.

Oh, and I'm thinking about using red buttons.

As simple as it may be, it is a bit of a test as well: this is the first garment in which I've tried to correct for my current, larger, cup size. I didn't really have to because nearly all of my self-drafted things still fit (which has to be because I used to put in just a bit more ease at the bust, for proportion's sake) but I wanted to try it anyway.

This is how far I've come today: it still needs the fiddly bits: collar, hems, buttons and buttonholes. And side seams, of course. 

Oh, I may use red buttons...

I'm liking it so far, but I'm very curious to see it on. 

Back to the sewing machine!