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A Closet Full of Selenes

You know when you find a pattern that really works for you, so you sew up as many as humanly possible over the course of a week?

That is exactly the relationship Anna has with Selene. I am not exaggerating when I say that as soon as Selene was finished, it seemed Anna wore a new one to the office every other day. I don’t blame her! Selene’s mix of effortless class and put-togetherness (definitely a word) is undeniable.

Now prepare to scroll through some Selene eye candy!

02-denim

detail-denim

01-pink

detail-pink

01-yellow

detail-yellow

What alterations did you make to your Selene to get a custom fit?

I cut out a size 12 pattern, then tapered from the hips to the waistline, ending at a size 8 waistline. I also shortened the skirt by 4” at the lengthen/shorten line to keep the length of the vent opening.

What was the inspiration behind your version of Selene?

I wanted some nice, spring/summer skirts for the office. Since sewing up most of my wardrobe, I’ve been noticing I’ve been getting a little dull in my colors, so I wanted to use some bright colors for these skirts. For a more casual skirt, I sewed up a denim version.

What fabric did you use?

I used a medium weight denim for the welt pocket variation. The pink skirt is a lightweight wool, and the yellow tweed is 100% silk.

How do you plan on wearing your Selene?

I plan on wearing my Selenes all year round! Except, perhaps, the wool version. It’s such a great wardrobe staple (which is why I made 3!) and can be worn with tank tops, blouses, sweaters, you name it.


I personally, want to snatch that pink Selene right off Anna every time she wears it. Which variation best suits your style?

Haley Glenn

Editorial Director

Five years ago, Haley left the apparel industry to join the world of home sewing. She has been empowering women to sew ever since – first through years of in-person teaching at Sew LA, and now through her writing at Colette. Haley writes tutorials and articles on our blog, teaches sewalongs, and writes and edits for our magazine, Seamwork.

Comments

Jessica McCann

April 21, 2016 #

That pink one is perfect! Would you mind sharing the fabric details?

Anna

April 21, 2016 #

Thank you Jessica. It’s a wool suiting from Bolt Fabric Boutique here in Portland :)

Kara

April 21, 2016 #

The yellow silk tweed is AMAZING. I have a yellow sheath dress and that would make a PERFECT blazer to wear over it. Any purchasing suggestions?

Anna

April 21, 2016 #

Thank you Kara! I have a pretty hefty fabric stash that I’ve been slowly chugging through. I’ve been stashing that silk for a few years now, so I’m not sure where to get that specific fabric now. However, I buy all my fabric from Bolt here in Portland (I purchased all the fabric for these skirts from there) http://boltfabricboutique.com
They do phone orders of fabric, so I’d definitely recommend checking out their blog for fabric, or stopping by if you’re in town :)

Diana

April 22, 2016 #

My gosh, working at Colette and being exposed to all that gorgeous stuff… your fabric stash must be epic!

Stunning choices, Anna. I especially love the way the lines in the yellow tweed show the grain line and the way it curves on the side panels. Inspiring!

kalimak

April 21, 2016 #

Beautiful skirts, Anna! The pattern’s an instant wardrobe staple, it appears. I’m really loving that denim version with the welt pockets.

Anya

April 21, 2016 #

I concur on wanting to snatch the pink one. It’s perfect! The fabric is an absolute eye candy.

Lelia Guilbert

April 22, 2016 #

I may be ostracized for saying this but I find the horizontal unbroken expanse of fabric on this above the knee skirt to be unflattering on all of the models. It adds width enen on the slimmer models. Were I to mak this skirt I would use a contrasting piping or I would make the entire center panels from a coordinating fabric. If I already had ample girth I would definitely define the princess line with dark fabric and make the center panels a lighter contrast which would be super flattering. I love the set in and placement of the pockets which adds a vertical line.

I love Collette patterns and have the entire collection but wasn’t sure about getting Selene although I see some good potential with this skirt.

Catherine Jones-Gray

April 22, 2016 #

I love the piping and color blocking ideas!

Anna

April 22, 2016 #

That’s the best part about making your own clothes! You can sew things up and tailor them however you want to be the most flattering :) I like your idea about adding piping to the princess seams and color blocking. This is definitely a great pattern to experiment with. We also always include lengthen/shorten lines on the pattern pieces if you’d prefer to make a longer version, that would be very pretty.

Charity

April 22, 2016 #

They’re all excellent but I’m really loving the pink!

Sandy

April 22, 2016 #

I might lengthen rather than shortening – but I love that yellow silk tweed! It’d probably need some serious interfacing to put the welt pocket in, the only silk tweed I’ve ever handled was on the softer side, but lushly comfortable to the touch. Did you have to line it?

Anna

April 25, 2016 #

Sandy, you definitely have the option to line this skirt! Here is an un-lined version a customer sewed up recently http://imaginegnats.com/selfish-sewing-week-colette-selene-skirt/

Diane

April 22, 2016 #

I’m liking this pattern the more I see it. At first I was not considering it as it was advertised as a pencil skirt and A-lines suit me better. But I can see it is not figure-hugging at all and it looks similar to a denim skirt I have had for years and is still a favourite so I might give it a go. I would certainly lengthen it to knee length though. Thank-you for showing us how this skirt works.

Meg

April 23, 2016 #

Hi Anna, hope you don’t mind me asking – but what height are you? I like the length you’ve shortened the skirt too and am about to cut out one myself today, just need to figure out how much to shorten by as I’m 5,1″

Anna

April 25, 2016 #

Meg, no worries! I am about 5′ 5″. I would suggest measuring from your waist to how long you would like the skirt, along your side. Then, measure the waistband and subtract that measurement from your desired length measurement, accounting for seam allowance. Finally, you can adjust your skirt at the lengthen/shorten line to fit your desired length :)

Sharron L

April 23, 2016 #

I remake vintage patterns, but I have to say this skirt would be perfect for a baby pink/white boule that would look fabulous in that style….

Karen

April 25, 2016 #

How would you line this pattern all the way to the hem taking the vent into consideration?

Anna

April 25, 2016 #

Karen, there are several ways to do a full lining with this skirt, but it requires a hefty amount of pattern re-drafting and a new set of instructions for sewing it in. If that is something you feel comfortable doing I would suggest emailing our customer service directly and we can help you find links on how to do that.

Ina

April 26, 2016 #

Beautiful skirts!

Deanna

April 26, 2016 #

Love, love, love the yellow tweed. Would love to see it with an orange sweater or T.
Thanks so much for sharing!
Say, do you think this could be made with a knit?
Thanks again.

Anna

April 27, 2016 #

Unfortunately duue to the tailored details, such as the lapped zipper and pocket options, this pattern would not work in knit fabric.