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Last week I drove from Wellington to Gisborne, 9 hours drive up the eastern coast of North Island, and back, and was reminded again how stunningly gorgeous New Zealand is. The country is currently bedecked in autumnal splendour: end of season flax flowers standing in stark black against the sky, pampas grasses blushing pink and champagne and silvery lavender, the occasional stands of deciduous trees in a blaze of colour, meadows returning to lush green with the resumption of rain, and sudden storms bringing exhilarating downpours and rainbows at the end

Remember my Pants on Fire shorts? (I hope you do, because I love the photos, and the story of how they got their name is pretty hilarious). I made them to take with me to a visit to my parents on their farm in Hawai’i back in 2016

I’m actually away for the next week, rusticating in the glorious rural swathes of New Zealand, away from reliable internet. This week I’m sticking with the same timeperiod as last week, but going for a very different look: a prim gown in palest pink with ivory damask trim Kerry Taylor Auctions describes this as an evening gown, so I’ve included that in my description, but I’m not convinced. The rest of the dress, with its restrained shape and historical touches, suggests early Aesthetic dress – and the Aesthetic movement wasn’t so far removed from standard dress that it flouted the normal conventions of what you covered and what you exposed in Victorian fashion. A reminder about rating – feel free to be critical if you don’t like a thing, but make sure that your comments aren’t actually insulting to those who do like a garment.

A little note: I’m away with limited internet access for the next four days, so will not be responding to emails until next Friday, when I let people know if they are part of the tester group or not. The pattern is designed for a bicep between 10″ / 27.5cm and 16 1/2″ / 43cm and a shoulder (from shoulder point to shoulder point, not from outside shoulder to outside shoulder) between 13″ / 33cm and 20″ / 51cm. • be able to print patterns in A4, A0, US Letter or US full sized Copyshop paper sizes • have the time to sew up the item if you agree to be a tester for it • be able to photograph your make being worn, and be willing for me to share your photos on this blog and instagram. As always I’m be looking for a range of testers, in terms of geographical location, body type, sewing experience, and personal style.