Christmas around the equator (and I suppose the Southern Hemisphere) is always a slightly strange affair. Instead of a white Christmas with warm fires, I’ve watched enough episodes of Bondi Rescue to know that Australian Christmases often come with white sandy beaches and copious amounts of sunscreen. In Singapore, this also means that end-of-year parties are a somewhat more casual affair, with barbecues, shorts and flip flops, as opposed to heels, party dresses and faux-fur coats – it’s just too hot and humid to bother with nice dresses and make up!
Honestly, this makes me more than a little jealous of you people with sub-27 deg C temperatures. (All you people who say you would love to have summer temperatures year round clearly don’t know what you’re talking about!!!)
So this year, I decided to amp up the glam factor with a simple kimono throwover that is both functional and goes a long way to making a blouse and shorts combo look more presentable than it actually is. As I found out at a recent family stay-cation at the Hard Rock Hotel, it also doubles up as a cover-up for the beach or the pool – don’t you love multifunctional clothing??
I made the kimono using this easy tutorial by Leanne Barlow. If I remade this pattern, I would definitely shorten the length as I found it much too long on my 1.62m (5′ 4″) frame. Other than that, this make was really quick and simple, made even easier using my new rolled hem foot that really helped with the finishing of the sleeves, collar and hem!
I’m seriously thinking of making a couple more of these in lieu of cardigans using knit fabrics, maybe? A kimono jacket like this would also make a great handmade Christmas gift for a stylish friend or family member if you don’t have enough time to sew up something more detailed.
Have you made or are you planning to make one of these? Oh and how are you guys down under planning to spend the holidays? I’d love to find out!
Special thanks goes to my photographers for the day – my sister and cousin Joelynn!
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