Some of my favourite purchases have been impulse buys. My theory is that my gut knows better than my brain what I like, so when I see something I need to have immediately, it almost always ends up being a favourite. That’s exactly what happened with this fabric. I knew immediately that it was perfect for View B of the Archer Button up. 

I made a muslin and a plaid version of View A before starting this top, so I had the fit pretty down pat, but I did some googling as has become my new routine before starting a project. I’m glad I did, because the seam at the back can look great or weird depending on where it’s placed. I came across this blog post from Helen’s Closet  that discusses exactly this and I’m so glad I did. Had I cut my Archer without moving this seams, I would have had a weird bum bustle thing that would have looked pretty darn awful. I raised it two inches (and easily could have gone up another inch) so it hits closer to my natural waist and looks like a sort of peplum. I feel like this is the mullet of shirts – business in the front, party in the back.

I also really appreciate how the ruffle back also extends the length in the back, but not the front, which is a look I love. I feel like View B is the over-looked little sister to View A. Ninety-five percent* (*not at all accurate and totally estimated and probably inadvertently exaggerated) of the Archers I see online are the basic View A, but I totally think View B is the better shirt. I don’t have any plans for View A, but will absolutely make more View B for work in the spring.

My other favourite part of this shirt are the buttons. I bought several options and asked my family their opinions, but ended up going with the button no one else liked. The ones I went with in the end were gold with a sort of copper glitter inside and looked a little like cuff links. I liked the stand-up buttons as they exemplified the feminine take on classic menswear that I was sort of going for with the skinny gold stripe in the fabric and surprise ruffle in the back.

I haven’t gotten to wear this top yet (it’s been crazy hot this fall), but I already know that it’s going to be my holiday top this year. I just need to find some red accessories to make it a little more Christmassy.