Hi, guys!  Maybe you’ve noticed the maxi dress fever that’s sweeping the nation, nay, the world, these days.  I have to admit– I’ve been on the fence about them.  There’s a part of me that feels like maxi dresses kinnnnnnnda look like nightgowns.  And the sight of gals running about town with their hems VISIBLY DIRTY totally grosses me out (come on, you guys have got to be with me here!  DIRTY DRESSES.  NO.  JUST NO.).

BUT.

I had to try it.  So many adorable versions of this pattern popped up on the internets that I couldn’t help myself!  Really, I blame you people– Dibs, Sophie, Kelli, Mimi G… you’ve infected me with the Maxi Dress Virus!  Unfortunately, the virus must be airborne or something, because Gail just posted her brand new maxi yesterday!  It’s a pandemic!

So, without further ado, here’s my Mission Maxi dress!

As you can see, it’s a bit more, erm, revealing than what I usually wear.  Who knew it was possible to feel a little scandalous in an ankle-length dress?!  The neckline’s a tad low for me, but I also used a cheapo, see-through, slinky knit, so it’s very clingy and doesn’t leave much to the imagination figure-wise (oh gah, I sound like a major prude!).  I only spent about $7 on the fabric (sale at Girl Charlee!), so hey, to paraphrase Dolly, at least it didn’t cost much money to look this cheap!

I was going to PhotoShop the bra straps out, but we’re all about journalistic integrity over here, people!  Truth bombs and nothing but truth bombs on this here blog!

I like the sort of racerback-y thing going on with this dress– it’s sporty and cute!  I was surprised that I felt really tall wearing this dress– I always imagined that maxi dresses would overwhelm and dwarf me.  And it’s soooo comfy and cool… kinda like a nightgown.  Oops.  Sorry.

This is my sultry face.

And this is should have been an easy project to sew, if I hadn’t decided that I needed to match up alllll the stripes at the side seams… now THAT was tedious!  The pattern instructions are super clear, it ran true to size, and I didn’t run into any problems at all stitching this up!  Of course, my binding went on a little sloppily, but I wouldn’t feel like myself if I didn’t botch it up just a little bit. But really, it’s simple to put together, and I would definitely recommend it to people who are nervous working with knits.  I don’t have much confidence in my serging abilities just yet, so I zigzagged everything on my regular machine and then went over the seams with the serger (hey, that thing has a knife!  Mistakes are permanent!) and I didn’t have any problems at all (and I don’t have a walking foot, so I just used a regular foot and a ball-point needle).  So if you don’t have a serger, but you’re want to try this one, go for it!  You can do it!

Man Friend: “I’m saving this picture so you know what you look like when you’re whining.”

So what do you guys think?  Maxi dresses– yea or nay?  I’m curious to hear your opinions!  I think I may have just joined the pro-maxi dress camp, but only time will tell.  I don’t think I’ll be wearing this one to work anytime soon, but maybe there’s another one of these puppies in the cards for me…