You can’t say I’m a slave to fashion. Any trend generally needs to be around for at least a season before I get around to sewing it. (Although that’s more to do with snail pace sewing and having too long a to-do list than any philosophical opposition to trendiness).
Peplum tops are no exception.
At least I’m still close to fashionable. Look what Veronika Maine (Australian fashion for career women of a certain age) recently sent to their shops:
Do you think they read Burda too? Look at that curved waist line! It dips down at the back too.
Technical details
Pattern: Burdastyle 08-2012-113
Size: 34-42, I made a 42 with my usual swayback adjustment.
Fabric: A French navy and ivory reversible jacquard polyester cotton blend, from Lucy Giles’ winter fashion range of 2010. I’ve used the other side for a jacket and skirt.
Heres the top with the ‘matching skirt’
Changes I made:
I used an exposed black zip rather than an invisible zip at centre back. To add interest. And with the added bonus of avoiding the horror of attempting to pattern match all those 2 mm squares and rectangles across the zip…
I didn’t line anything, not even the cap sleeves which Burda instructs you to line. Instead I used a poly satin bias strip to finish the sleeve hems, armholes and the peplum hem.
You can just get a hint of it here on the underside of the back peplum piece:
Conclusion:
This is a great design. The female teenage fashion critic approves, but the male tween think it looks like a silly little dress. He needs to get out more.
I am tempted to make another in a softer fabric. Or as a ‘ real’ dress, after having seen Maider’s great version.
He Cooks... She Sews! 
Right. That does it…I am going to have to fly to Adelaide and snitch your wardrobe. This outfit looks fabulous. I too have been somewhat wary of going down the Peplum path…but may just get over the hesitation now I’ve seen how great this looks!
Yes, go for the peplum look. It doesn’t magically give me a wasp waist, but the extra fluff around my upper hips does draw the eye elsewhere.
He does need to get out more. LOL. and I can’t agree more with the daughter! Very nice ‘silly little dress’!
I think this looks fantastic ( especially in that fabric) .
Sharp looking – very smart and business-like yet remaining feminine. Nice look for you.
I like the feminine flirtatiousness of it too. I think the fabric is keeping it in the business world, just.
I have this in my queue for my SWAP. I love the exposed zipper. Your fabric is perfect.
I love this top, and I like it best with the reverse patterned skirt! The exposed zipper is a very high end finishing touch.
Oh it looks fantastic on you especially with the reverse patterned skirt. That outfit is just the bomb! (that’s good)
Lovely top!!!
Very nice! Read your review at PR and had to come see your blog!
Welcome!
Your peplum top is so cute! You have to give it a try and sew the dress. It´s a very flattering pattern.
Thanks for sharing my project´s link!!!!
This is great! I used to LOVE peplums the first time they came ’round, but haven’t gotten around to trying this version. I suffer from slow-sewing syndrome, too, which doesn’t usually bother me, but sometimes I am the last to hop onto a trend! I love your white skirt – it looks like a Burda pattern, too.
It’s 07-2012-134. Sort of. The blog post is about five posts back “jazz and bat wings”
You look fantastic in this design… very complimentary to your figures!
oops… I meant to say “figure.” Not sure how the multiples might be interpreted. 🙂
LOL. with and without Spanx
Oh my gosh that fabric, I love it so baaaad! I love reversible fabric and I love the two sides together when you wear it with the skirt. Bah that’s not silly at all 🙂
I love this fabric too. Thanks to you all for appreciating it too!
And to think it only made its way to my stash because I saw it after I took all my other fabric selections to the counter to be cut! What lucky chance!
What do teenage boys know, anyway?
I think it looks great! You’ve made the trend your own.
Love this! The fabric is amazing, and the shape looks super on you. I don’t think teenage boys should ever be called on for fashion advice…
Love it with the matching skirt. I must admit to being tempted by this pattern, but feel that it might add too much bulk around my middle.
You should try it. I thought exactly the same. I don’t think it does add bulk, even to a rectangle (brick) like me.
Oooh, I love the top and its matching skirt! A famous Dutch designer just came out with a top + trousers in a fabric and its negative and it’s been bouncing around in my mind. Thanks for sharing this! I’ve only made one peplum top, but I cut the peplum much shorter for fear of emphasizing my hips. I now see that the full peplum length is still quite flattering. Maybe I’ll give it a try…
I do feel very couture-y wearing the top with the matching skirt.
Yes give it a try, it’s surprisingly flattering, and fun.
I love this top! I think it’s very flattering on you. I’m just in the middle of a conversation about who can wear peplums and what it enhances and/or what it disguises. But this style is lovely. I think maybe the fact that the peplum is larger and undulating, rather than short and stiff, makes it that much more flattering. Like it with the “matching” skirt as well. 🙂
Oh my. How did I miss this post. You look great. Each piece looks great. And edgie.
I think this top looks amazing on you! I think steph might say its a bit long but since its designed much differently (hi low hemline and curved waist seam) than ‘regular’ peplum tops maybe the proportions are just right. However I don’t know much about fitting, so I’m no expert.
Thank you!
Steph is so right about proportion and that concept also applies to the skirt length under the top.
I like mine better with the shorter more pegged white skirt, but I’ve had a lot of complements on the reverse matching skirt too.
Perhaps pattern overcomes proportion in some cases?!
This looks awesome-not trend-ish at all. Re: Aussie RTW cloning things from the patternmags-it happens all the time! Carl went for jury duty recently and met a professional patternmaker (works for one of the biggest womenswear brands here) who said every season they bring her pics of stuff from mags/ the runway and ask her to draft the exact same for their ‘line’ (not a variant, not a similar look but exactly the same). Needless to say she was pretty sick of her job XD
That’s very interesting. It seems to me that commercial women’s fashion trends in Oz seem to follow what I see in Burda ( and I presume whats hot in Europe). Of course I live under a rock except for when my Burda issue turns up once a month so what would I know…