Karen recently noticed that high street stores are making the same clothes as us home-sewists. So I was slightly surprised to see that Monsoon has made a dress just like one I made two years ago (before I started blogging).
My handmade blue floral summer dress
Monsoon’s blue floral dress
The Monsoon dress is on sale for £75 whereas mine cost approx £5 (I got the fabric at Kilburn Market thinking it would be a muslin) Me 1: Monsoon 0
The jersey in my dress is a decent weight and drapes well, but is probably a big mix of poly-blends. The Monsoon dress is 100% cotton Me 1: Monsoon 1
Both dresses have fitted bodices and full skirts, and are sleeveless. My dress is (a little too ?) short, has decorative stitched hems (I had just bought my lovely Janome) and is embellished with lots of handmade roses. The Monsoon dress looks like it is a more modest length and has a nice piped waistband. Who is the winner? You decide!
I have got lots of wear out of my little summer dress, and I love that it is a print I would never normally choose – I got the fabric because it was cheap and intended to make a muslin, but ended up keeping it. However I do sometimes feel a bit self-conscious as it is shorter than anything else in my wardrobe and is not good on windy tube escalators! Last year I had been considering adding a layer underneath the skirt to make it a smidgeon longer (and maybe give it a tad more body), possibly in navy or white with a matching waist band – what do you think?
Another Little Crafty Creation 
I think the print on yours is much classier! You could make a separate petticoat, slightly longer with a ruffle at the bottom as a feature. You could wear it with or without the extra body then 🙂
It sounds odd linking the word “classier” with £3 pm fabric from lovely Kilburn High Road – definitely not a classy location, but I’m glad the fabric is!
Lovely material, have something similar myself.
RE short dresses on tube escalators – I weight the hems of my shorter dresses with the lead weighted tape you put in curtains – it washes fine, and prevents embarrassing knicker flashing!
oooh, good plan. Yet more trimmings to add to my shopping list!