Olivia Pope-Inspired Dress + Aussie and the Fox

So, it's been long over due, but the Olivia Pope-Inspired Dress I have been telling you about is finally here! Yep! I finished it and wore it last night for date night with the Hub! It felt like the perfect occasion.

I used Burda Pattern # 7232
The pattern was pretty complex with the way the back attached all together and then to the skirt. But once I took a good gander at the pictures in the pattern it went together rather quickly.  I would recommend making some additional markings for yourself when you cut out the back pieces. It was a bit challenging to figure out the direction the points were going. 

The inside it completely lined with no exposed seams. I used a white stretch cotton sateen I picked up at Fabric Mart in the clearance section for $2.00/yd. I used the cotton to line it as well because I wanted the dress to hold its shape and I knew I would not be able to wear a slip with that back! Or a bra for that matter!

I purchased a stick-on backless bra from Target. I was rather nervous about the bra situation. They kinda have the same stickiness of a mouse trap... My first thought was "will my these come off?!" "Am I going to have sticky boobs afterwards?!" But no worries. They came off and all is fine and well! Rest assured.

So yeah, here is the dress!

And a nice view of my front yard. #livingthefarmlife

I used buttons that look like pearls to close the back.

The front is also not very bra-friendly. But it sure looks hip!

I sewed all of the "pearl" beads on by hand. (I purchased a little bag of them at Joann Fabrics.)
Probably while watching a marathon of some terrible show on TLC that Josh would not approve of, like Hoarders or Extreme Couponing. Both shows which make me feel super-charged afterwards making me want to scrub every cranny of the entire house and run to the store to buy 100 bottles of toothpaste that will last me 50 years but were free just so I can say I did.

We decided to celebrate our dating anniversary this year at a new restaurant in Lancaster that I have been wanting to try since my birthday, last October...
But after spending 5 years together and almost one year of marriage, it seemed like a good time to finally go out on the town. So we drove into the city for our late night dinner reservations at 8:45 pm. It was definitely a stretch for this girl considering I like to be on the couch under a blanket at that time of night. I don't know what happened. Being married has made me old. But I was going to prove the night wrong and show it I am young and alive! 

(Not mentioning the couple seated next to us at the restaurant were probably in their mid-50's...)

Aussie and The Fox is a mix of classic staples with an Australian flair.
The menu offered a unique burger, tasty pasta, roasted chicken, fancy fish, and a popular pork loin. 

I tried the Aussie Burger, which was surprisingly delicious. I was a bit concerned about this egg and beets business. I'm PA Dutch. I like what I like and I like potatoes. But this was certainly something different and Josh and I both really enjoyed it. Definitely putting this on the list of things to eat again. I think trying new restaurants is pretty exciting. I love dressing up, going somewhere new and trying as many new and interesting things that I can in one evening. 

Especially when it gives me an excuse to wear an awesome dress I just made!

I will leave you with a quite a lady at a fabric store once told me:
"Don't make the dress for the occasion, make an occasion for the dress!"

-Katie