I wasn’t expecting to buy a new summer dress, especially not so hot on the heels of having made one! But we were walking through Debenhams and this one leapt out at me from the Phase Eight rail. It was my size, the last one left in the shop, and reduced from £85 to £19. Now that’s my kind of bargain!
It’s made from cotton lawn, and has a detachable slip/lining in the same fabric. (I don’t know why the website says viscose, it’s definitely cotton.) Raglan sleeves, slightly gathered, a bit of a ruffle, pintucks, an empire line belt, and the perfect colour. Technically I could make this dress myself, but in reality I never would. Mostly because of the pintucks. They’re so fiddly that I probably wouldn’t bother.
As I was sprinting gleefully towards the till, I discovered that one of the straps on the lining was broken. I politely mentioned this to the cashier and he gave me an extra 10% off, making it even more of a bargain! A couple of stitches later, and the dress is even better than new. I expect I’ll be wearing this one rather a lot.