Thus we reach the end of the battle with these three shirts and a Happy Thanksgiving to all, the common features being the hallmark men’s shirt collar and front-buttoning band. The three quarter sleeves are my option for all three. Take a look and tell me what you think.

This composite of photos proves the theory that you feel best when you like what you are wearing. See my dour expression in the last outfit on the right? Read below for the details.

Surprisingly, my favorite turned out to be the first one on the left — the Liverpool shirt/tunic designed by Amy Butler. Surprising because I found much fault with the pattern whilst making it. I take it all back, based on the number of times I’ve worn this piece.

Second is the pistachio green linen shirt; I like it a lot but why have I not reached for it as much as the Liverpool shirt?

Lastly, my least favorite is the long blue shirt/dress which was the expected favorite. I haven’t had a chance to wear it out in public anyway, since it’s brand new. Maybe it’ll grow on me.

Read on…. I’ll try to keep it short.

I’m giving you some time to see what things are wrong with this outfit. I’ll wait.

That’s long enough. I will detail the not-so-good things after you see the original inspiration by Ralph Lauren.

This complete look fresh off the Spring 2025 Ralph Lauren runway was my inspiration for button-down #3.

I used McCall’s 7470 which has been used twice before, quite successfully, I might add. The earlier ones were a tunic and a knee length dress, both sleeveless. This time, I used the midi length view D (maxi on me but midi on my taller friends) and added sleeves to make it comparable to the previous two button-downs (see first photo composite at the top).

I love the princess lines, the length and the fabric from my go-to source, Sew Much Fabric. All good until fit issues started to crop up. Specifically, too much ease on the sleeve-cap in relation to the armhole. The sleeve cap has (and should have) more length all around than an armhole for a decent set-in sleeve — you just use the process of easing-in to make a nicely fitted shoulder. I was confident and cut out the sleeves. Come time to ease, and I found out that the sleeve cap had way too much ease. Why didn’t I pre-measure? Why would I? Huh? Here are some photos to make it clear…

So, how much more should the cap measure in relation to the armhole? This particular armhole/cap difference was originally 1.5 inches! Too much for a Lyocell twill set-in sleeve — this fabric can be eased-in only so much. (However, that much difference is acceptable in a wool jacket where wool can be steamed into shape, and a shoulder pad added for a structured shoulder).

The only thing I could do now was to take in the sleeve underarm seam to bring down the cap/armhole difference to one inch. There is a way to reduce a sleeve cap, on the paper pattern — which may be another blog post; but I had no more fabric to cut out new sleeves. Oh, well.

Then another thought occurred to me. Maybe there was a separate front and back pattern for the sleeved versions? There was none. The front and back patterns (and thus the armhole) were the same pieces for every version of the dress. Oh well, again. I still like this button-down, barring another issue at the bust level; every time I put my hands in the pockets, the front band opens up — in a sleeveless this does not happen. The addition of sleeves is pulling it, presumably due to the whole sleeve-cap, armhole, and bust level dynamic. So, either I walk around without moving my arms too much, or remove the sleeves altogether. I have already added more ease at the bust point on the pattern should I decide to make another sleeved version. I’ll keep you updated.

Also, this may be a visual thing but should I reduce the dress length by a few inches?

The vest:

So sorry, guys — the vest I’m wearing is the muslin. I bought this re-issued 1960s McCall’s, made the usual adjustments but was not a happy camper. My plan was to use white linen. That’s a whole other blog post where my determination to make this vest fit me properly may or may not happen.

So there we have it. Thank you for reading my words. Hope to meet you back here with more sewing conversations. Happy Thanksgiving!

Samina