We'll Always Have Paris

MANY thanks to Kay, who sent the link to this pattern this morning.

I feel that I should find this pattern in my size and make it up immediately, in case we are ever invaded and I find myself leading a cell of the Resistance. (I used to be obsessed with resistance narratives, especially Story of a Secret State and The Long Walk where people walk from Siberia to India. Okay, maybe I'm still obsessed.)

My point is, with this dress, the beret, and the jaunty neckerchief, I would SO be a leader of the Resistance. I'd have some unobjectionable cover story -- running an orphanage? Where some of the "children" were actually "little people" AND demolition experts? -- but in reality, I'd be obtaining false papers, robbing weapons transports, engaging in acts of sabotage, and using those fantastic pockets to hide my snub-nosed derringer. (And as long as I'm writing this, at some point, I get to fly a prop plane.)

Too bad my twin sister, the quisling in yellow, tries to betray me. Luckily, we knew she was up to no good, so we distracted her with a decoy mission while spiriting the real fugitives out of the country (that's where the prop plane comes in).

Or, you know, you could just make this dress and become the leader of something else (Resistances being fewer and farther between these days). Good luck!

Comments

[Latter-Day Flapper]

Resistance to boring and poorly-made modern fashion fads? That seems like as good a cause as any.

[tea]

Plus, the orange gloves!

[xstpenguin]

Ooh, I want to know how those pockets are made! Ditto Latter-Day Flapper's comment.

[Theresa]

I love how it looks so drapey! Need to find it in my size too!

[Anonymous]

What's going on with the transparent woman in the background, leaning on a transparent rail? Is she a spy? A double agent? A long lost sister?

[WgS]

I believe where the resistance comes in is when the woman in brown had her regular sized feet crammed into those shoes."We have ways of making you talk, Clara. You should just come clean right now.""No, you don't mean... not the size-6 Jimmy Choo crocodile pumps!""It's not technically torture, Madam. While they do hurt, you are never actually in fear for your life.""Fine! Bring them on. But, you will learn nothing from me, nothing."

[Libby Fife]

I think I could wear this outfit about town on my daily errands. I would be secretly resisting as I grocery shopped and mailed my packages...plus I could be super tall and thin with pointy little feet...

[marLou]

How I love the pockets to these! So drapey.

[Packrat]

Ditto Latter-Day Flapper.What a classic!I don't know for certain on the pockets on this dress since I don't have the actual pattern, but the pockets are probably made very similar to pockets in jeans.The V neck is awfully low for those days! oooooo :)The transparent lady has to be a spy, right?

[Sewing Siren]

xstpenguin,The drape below the pocket comes from the cut of the skirt, which is a "peg" silhouette. The pocket construction is a regular inserted pocket.

[Melissa]

"Listen carefully. I shall say zis only once."

[wundermary]

Like the 'ice cream cone' dress, these pockets just beg to be turned into one big pouch pocket. The extra fullness in the skirt front would hide your Derringer wonderfully.

[Cookie]

The hazy figure on the left is the ghost of Mata Hari...Patron Saint of Spies. She likes having this title, because in reality she was NOT a spy, but this way she still gets to be "in the game", spying on spies from the Great Beyond.She's learned a lot from watching, and keeps putting in a request for reincarnation.

[Anonymous]

The Long Walk was such a good book. It's so sad it was not true.

[paisleyapron]

This pattern screams for a drapey challis. I have another one like this too that needs challis. Does anyone out there know where to get challis these days??

[anthrokeight]

1) What? Ah said, listen very carefully, ah shall say zis only once! Melissa, you rule.2)Perhaps a dirigible could be used to distract the quisling sister, who thinks she knows you and thus follows the hydrogen balloon. Then you sneak out in the prop plane before meeting up with a mysterious fella in a blue box.I love this game.

[Lisette]

Ah! I too was going to bring up 'Allo 'Allo.Actually, whilst living in Quebec these past four months I quite frequently wore berets and neckerchiefs. I bet when they try to break away from Canada they'll need some sort of Resistance then!

[Justine]

She is in the news media resistance. She battles daily to keep the public calm and truly informed. She fights sensationalism and tabloid journalism everywhere. Since the evil mass media have smeared her name, she is on the no-fly list and must pilot her trusty Sopwith Camel from airfield to airfield to spread the news!

[Stevy]

Completely irrelevantly to this lovely pattern, sorry - but I wanted to thank you, because last year or so I commented on one of your posts about wanting to buy a sewing machine but not being sure which one to get, and you were so lovely and encouraging, and the upshot of it all is that I now have a sewing machine and have MADE A DRESS! It is only a very simple jumper, but I feel immensely proud of myself and glad that I'm on my way, so thank you!

[Kay]

Yeah Stevy!!! Welcome to the cult!! Show us your dress!

[wundermary]

^^^What she said!^^^

[Didi]

I love these vintage ads! Just discovered your blog after I googled Clothes With Character an old book I came across. This is so cool!

[Cookie]

I want to see the dress, too! A simple jumper sounds great! Dress it up, dress it down...good for you, Stevy!

[Monabel]

Well now, there are resistance movements going on these days, just ask my anti-militarism, anti-racist, activist daughter. If she wore this dress, she would be even more invincible.

[Cookie]

If [my daughter] wore this dress, she would be even more invincible. You know what you have to do.