Have you ever done something that went against "conventional" wisdom? What am I talking about today? Color blocking. You see, the general consensus is that petites really shouldn't color block their clothes. A solid color, up and down helps make us look taller. For the most part, I follow that rule. But sometimes, I just don't care. And sometimes, even though I don't care it works out just fine. YAY!

So for my color block experiment I went with the Halla Elora Convertible Dress and Skirt. I picked the Elora for my experiment for a few reasons.

#1- Free. You can't beat free, and you can get this pattern free by going to the Halla Facebook Group and getting the code.

#2- Maxi Skirt. If someone told me I had to wear dresses for the rest of my life, maxi dresses would be the #1 thing I would add to my closet. They're easy to wear, they look super cute AND you don't have to shave your legs. (I know you know what I'm talking about)

#3- Versatile. I knew that If I ended up hating my creation, I could wear it as a maxi skirt and no one would be the wiser.

This pattern includes 2 skirt cut lines. I used the shorter one because of course, I'm short. I didn't bother doing too much to the width of the pattern. I figured the 2 layers of cotton lycra would do most of the work.

Because I wasn't sure if this was going to turn out well, I didn't bother with stripe matching the front and back. I completely regret it. The two sets of stripes are cut opposite of each other. 🙈 At least I cut it on grain.

I also didn't bother making my usual adjustments. While this looks decent, if I had shortened the bodice it would have looked SO much better. I still wear this, as is, because #1, I'm lazy and #2 it looks better than RTW and that is something all on its own.

I do regret not having a strapless bra to wear with this. Bra straps are NOT cute or stylish. But no bra would have been a disaster and I don't own a strapless bra (although I certainly should).

I did NOT find that there was enough negative ease built into the pattern to maintain its position without regular adjustments through out the day. Perhaps that is because my boobs come all the way up to and above my armpits? I'll likely make some nice chunky straps and sew them into place on this dress. It'll kill 2 birds with one stone. It'll stop falling down AND I won't have to worry about bra straps anymore. I'll have to find a way to keep the straps adjustable so I can still wear it as a maxi skirt.

All in all, an unexpected success. And I definitely have plans to make 1-2 more because they're both fast and comfy to wear. I'll line those with the Black Under Armour from my shop, as I've already proven they have enough oomph to handle strapless.

Fabrics are tomato cotton lycra and red white stripe poly from the Simply By Ti Shop also.