Draping Diva!

That is her new name!  Monkey Girl is now the Draping Diva.  Three times since the last post I have gone down into the Sewing Room and found a length of fabric (usually my bamboo) wrapped, pleated and pinned in place on Mindy.  Don't know when she does it, although I suspect it is done when I think she is watching TV or playing on the family Wii.  Sometimes there is a note pinned to Mindy asking if she can use the fabric for her design (THAT WAS FOR THE OFF LIMITS BAMBOO!) or she then will join me and ask if the design is something she can wear.  Now seeing as she is draping on a form that is my size and bust and that she has not yet shown her potential for needing fitting, it is hard to tell.  But she loves to play with the fabrics, so I let her do so.  I have warned her off certain fabrics as they do not survive random pinning and being left to hang on Mindy, especially when some of it inevitably ends up being on the bias!  I need to thank Darrell for this new talent of hers.  you see, he has numerous forms throughout his shop with fabric artistically draped to showcase the fabrics to their best potential.  She fell in love with the idea when we last visited.  Makes me want to hunt down a cheap form for her to play with until she grows into mine.  Christmas is coming ...

So design divas!  I need your help and I need it fast! I have an important meeting next week with an VP of a Bank.  I need something appropriate to wear ... I want to wear a dress if I can pull it off in the next week (so the Claire Schaeffer mock wrap couture pattern is out due to time).  I have some suiting intended for a shirtdress, but again, time is a factor.  So, it will have to be either a sheath or an empire style, unless I do a surplice knit.  I have this fabric from Darrell that I bought with the intention of using it for one of the HP Three Graces tops (the cowl was the preferred), but now I am thinking of it as a dress.  Simple in doing, but it is the fabric that worries me.

It is an bias printed argyle pattern in grey, blue and black with silver thread shot through. The cowl drapes nicely according to Draping diva and Mindya doesn't look too bad in it full length, the issue is whether I will.  I want to push my envelope a bit beyond the obvious argyle top or twin set, but is a dress really the way to go?  My figure is not the most willowy and I am now in my 40's, so age appropriate is important.  I do so want to leave a good impression ...

Idea #2 was to take the top with the cross over front (the Grecian one) and use black for the cross overs and the argyle for the cowl center piece, but that would take soem creative drafting of the pattern pieces to balance the bottom off.  This really appeals to me as it will be most unique but still not be too much argyle as it would only be on the cowl and the center front.  What fabric I would use on the back is open for debate: black or full argyle?  What say you?