Welcome to December 1st, which can only mean one thing: it's Crew pattern reveal day! We're ending 2025 with the Zelda skirt, the final pattern in our Decades collection and a design that captures the magic of fashion history (so many decades covered here!) while feeling completely relevant for today. Get Zelda by joining Crew starting at just $14 USD / $17.50 CAD a month! (And don't forget - you can cancel at any time!)
The Design
Named after Zelda Fitzgerald, the iconic 1920s figure and wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald, this skirt embodies the spirit of liberation and transformation that defined the era. Zelda was a bit of a party girl and also a tragic figure, but she felt like the perfect muse for exploring the revolutionary decade when women's fashion changed dramatically from what came before.
Here's what makes Zelda so special: it doesn't belong to just one decade. While the dropped waist is our nod to the 1920s, this skirt is a beautiful study in how fashion ideas bleed across eras, get reinterpreted, and resurface in new ways.
You'll find the dropped waist from the '20s, a full midi skirt that channels the '50s New Look, an echo of '80s silhouettes, and a shape we're seeing everywhere in ready-to-wear right now. It's the perfect pattern to end our Decades collection because it shows how something can start in one place and morph over time, getting rediscovered and reimagined again and again.
What we love most about Zelda is how clean and architectural it feels. The high-waisted construction features no waistband; everything is faced on the inside for a sleek, minimalist line. Beautiful curved seam lines create interesting shaping and form perfect points at the sides, with an invisible zipper for that ultra-clean finish. Generously gathered skirt panels give wonderful fullness and movement, and the midi length hits around mid-calf for perfect proportions.
We styled our samples with pieces from earlier in the Decades collection: the Josephine top in matching cranberry poplin (giving holiday Barbie vibes in the best way), and the Donna bodysuit in sophisticated black-on-black. But we're already dreaming of dressing it down with a cropped cashmere sweater, a French-tucked sweatshirt, or a crisp button-down for Carolina Herrera-level polish.
The best part? This is a relatively quick sew, perfect for December when you need something for a party but don't have three days to dedicate to an elaborate dress.
Our Muse
Long before she became a legend of Jazz Age literature, Zelda Fitzgerald was shaping the cultural imagination through fashion. Spirited, unconventional, and unapologetically modern, Zelda embodied the bold energy of the 1920s, a time when women were beginning to claim new freedoms in how they lived, moved, and dressed. She wasn’t simply following trends; she was setting them. Her cropped hair, athletic ease, and love of movement helped define the era’s shift toward liberated silhouettes and rebellious glamour.
Zelda understood fashion as self-expression, and her wardrobe often blurred the boundaries between elegance and play. From fluid skirts that allowed her to dance with abandon to sleek, youthful cuts that broke with Edwardian stiffness, she became a muse of modernity. Artists, designers, and photographers were drawn to her effortless sense of drama, an energy that continues to echo through fashion history.
Suggested Fabrics for Zelda
All three of our samples are made in poplin because we love how structured wovens work with this design. Look for light to midweight woven fabrics with body and structure like poplin, broadcloth, or cotton sateen. You want to work with something that can stand up to the shaping in the seam lines while creating beautiful gathers and maintaining volume through the skirt.
We used our crisp poplin from Core Fabrics (which has an almost paper-like hand that holds its shape beautifully) and our silky poplin (slightly lighter with more drape). You could also experiment with a drapey fabric like a floral rayon for a softer, more fluid effect - we'd love to see that interpretation!
Recreate our samples with kits from Core Fabrics in both crisp and silky poplin options.
Unlimited members enjoy a standing discount at Core Fabrics! Get 15% off any order of fabric, notions, tools or kits in the shop for as long as you are an annual member. Visit the Crew Hub when you're logged in to see your exclusive Core Fabrics code.
Watch the Design Story
Heather walks you through all the details of this pattern and gives you some tips for fabric and styling!
How to Sign Up for Crew
Zelda is only available through our Crew membership – join monthly for just $14 USD / $17.50 CAD (no minimum commitment!) or upgrade to our annual Unlimited plan for access to our entire Decades collection this year, 11 future patterns, and special perks like:
- Access to Gabby, our fitting expert, for personalized help
- Standing discounts at Closet Core Patterns, Deer&Doe and Core Fabrics (patterns, classes + fabric!)
- Exclusive access to member-only resources and community
We can't wait to see your #ClosetCoreZelda! Join today and start sewing this homage to fashion history.
Please note that if you are signing up after the pattern month has ended, you'll only be able to access Zelda at the Unlimited level.
