Hello internet friends!
Today I’m bringing you one a knit that I finished last summer but didn’t really wear until this year’s Me Made May :) If you’ve been following along on my Instagram (@beccamadethat) you’ll know that my pledge for this year’s #MeMadeMay2019 was to wear me mades that I already have in my closet instead of making new ones. This pledge has really made me look at the pieces that I grab all the time and re consider how I can style them with some of the pieces that I don’t wear very often (as well as which me mades I can let go of but more of that in another post!)
One of the great re-finds in my closet has been this Bolan tee that I knit in Holst Coast last summer! This piece came together really quickly (I actually knit most of it during last year’s Me Made May!) It has a pretty unique construction where you start from the centre front and knit width wise with the lace portion taking up the top most edge of the piece. You then cast off and continue the lace portion with a bit of the stockinette stitch from the body for the sleeves. To complete the other half of the front you pick up from the cast on edge. Rinse and repeat to make the back piece, block and seam together and you have your top!
Close up of the lace detail :D
I think the main reason this knit tee didn’t get much wear last year is that I didn’t have a way to style it where I felt comfortable. I first tried layering it on top of a RTW tank top but it just felt really frumpy since the knit top is so lose and flow-y and all of my tank tops are close fitting. This knit also ended up being a bit more cropped than I was expecting and given the way it’s constructed I didn’t have the option of adding more length....
But thanks to my Me Made May 2019 pledge this knit top now has some new life in outfit rotation since I had the genius idea to pair it with my first Ogden cami (which also had it’s debut shortly before me made may of last year!) I really love the tencel twill from blackbird fabrics and this ogden has turned out so silky and flow-y it’s so nice! The only problem with it is that it was my first one, done before I decided to grade between two sizes at the bust as a sort of faux FBA. As a result there’s a bit of bunching at the upper bust near the arm scythe so I often pair this Ogden with either a cardigan or blazer.
Pairing this Ogden with this Bolan top was a match made in heaven! The flowy-ness of the Ogden pairs nicely with the light, floaty drape of the Bolan. I really like the way they kind of float around together as I wear them. AND since I have added quite a number of Ogdens since this first iteration and this Bolan is knit in a nice ‘neutral’ light denim blue/grey I can pair all of of Ogdens with this comfy knit top for a summer full of floaty goodness!
Have any of your me made may pledges lead to some unexpected discoveries or breathed new life in some previously ignored me mades in your closet? Let me know in the comments!