Miss Fisher Style (Deer and Doe Narcisse)

Do you watch Miss Fisher\’s Murder Mysteries? It\’s one of the few book-based shows that I, a librarian, think is even better than the books! Casting Essie Davis as Phryne Fisher was a stroke of genius, adding the romantic tension between Jack and Phryne is a nice touch, honestly the only complaint I have is that Lin Chung was poorly cast but also his character should be in every episode… but any complaint I have is easily ignored due to the absolutely wonderful costumes. The 20s have never held any sway over me; it\’s not a good style on my body type and I hate a drop waist more than anything else (beside puff sleeves–so the 40s are right out as well). However, Essie Davis\’s costumes are consistently drop dead gorgeous. I\’ve been rewatching the series recently after having read some more of the books while on my cruise, and obsessing over a specific pair of white pants she wears often, so when Deer and Doe asked me if I wanted a copy of their new wide-legged pants I was so excited to make some Miss Fisher Pants of my own!

Obviously wide-leg white pants aren\’t super practical for daily wear, but I still wanted something light and airy-looking, so I chose a pale yellow chambray from Organic Cotton Plus. Chambray is one of the suggested fabrics, but this one is a bit on the light side, I think. In a darker color it wouldn\’t be a problem (and there are a few really pretty dark greens) but you can see my pocket through the fabric. Other than that it was lovely to work with and feel amazing on–come August and really hot weather I think I will be living in these pants.

As far as sizing, I went a bit off-piste. I started by grading between a 36 at the waist and a 40 at the hip, but then I panicked slightly and decided to cut my side strips extra wide just in case. I ended up relying on that extra space because the pants felt tight through the front thigh. I will say that it was tricky for me to fit these pants because I\’ve never worn pants like these, at least not for years and years, so I wasn\’t always sure how they should feel. I also added an inch to the length, and should have added more–I took a little baby hem to preserve the length and I wish they were a touch longer (I\’m 5\’7\”). In the end, I think my strange fitting method worked out well–although the fit isn\’t perfect they are definitely wearable and rather cute!

The welt pocket instructions are great, and it was only laziness that prevented me from adding the second back pocket. I also skipped the in-seam front pockets, since I knew that in this light fabric, I wouldn\’t want to put anything in the front pockets anyway; it would be visibly lumpy! If you use a slightly more bulky fabric, though, having 4 functional pockets on a pair of trousers is quite a luxury–you have space for your pearl-handled revolver and your business cards and your lipstick and a handkerchief, as well. I think my Phryne Fisher-inspired outfit turned out well–no drop waisted dresses here, just waist-defining wide-leg pants. Paired with the kimono from the same collection you\’ll have a whole Miss Fisher look!