I made this dress back in around August or September 2020 as a fit test for a slip to go under a lace dress that was going to be either Clare’s valedictory dinner or graduation ceremony dress.  In the end there was no valedictory dinner, and she wore a different dress to her graduation.  But this fit test dress was worn quite often!

Ah, strappy dresses worn over a tee – does that take you back to the 90s? The pattern is the George and Ginger Malibu dress.

From the George and Ginger website: The Malibu Dress is straight out of your favorite 90s movie! Featuring thin binded straps and two length options, mini and full length, wear over a basic tee or stand alone! This basics design is great for layering with our other Grunge looks! Suggested fabric is any knit with 50% stretch and adequate drape.

As you would imagine, this was a super straightforward dress to sew. The straps are also bindings, and are enough layers to be quite strong and stable.

There’s a nice amount of flare in the skirt, along with the fitted bodice that Clare prefers in her clothing. The fabric is a jacquard knit that I bought years and years ago from the Super Cheap Fabrics store in Brunswick (although I have seen it pop up again on their website more recently). It’s a terrific fabric! Soft but not flimsy, and a good amount of stretch. Pretty much perfect for this dress.

I don’t think that I’ve seen Clare wear this dress without something under it – it’s often over a white short sleeved tee. Size wise I suspect that I sewed XXS or XS but I’d have to pull out the pattern again to check. It ranges from a tween 28.5″ to an adult 55.5″ bust.

I wonder if Stella wants one of these dresses too – in black, of course 😉 It’s a satisfying dress to make when you need a bit of a ‘palate cleanser’ sew, and is useful in most wardrobes as either a dress to go over things or a slip to go under things – or to just wear on it’s own!