My (not so) Little (not so) Black Dress

This is probably as close as I'll ever get to the proverbial Little Black Dress, but it's simple, it's neutral (dark grey/chocolate brown almost black), it's accessorizable, and I think it should take me to a variety of places.  (Ahhh, this brings to mind some very fond memories of reading one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books "Oh, The Places You'll Go!")

The Pattern:  (I'm not sure where this model thinks she's going - she certainly appears to be ready to soar.  Or something...

Lynn Mizono's Vogue 1312.  In spite of being a declared non-dress wearer, I am warming up to the concept and keep finding more dress patterns sneaking onto my cutting table.  This is now my second made dress!   To add to the 2 (sleeveless, very casual, summer frocks) I already own.   Which makes a grand total of 4 in my closet.   I think this makes me rather the odd one out in this dress-sewing crowd!  At any rate,  this one I wanted to make from the moment I saw the pattern!   There was a bit of a drawback in that it calls for nearly 5 yards of fabric, and I didn't have anything suitable in stash of that quantity.  Even finding something I liked that fit in my frugal budget was proving a challenge!  I'm pretty sure that I used something closer to 4 yards in the end.

The Fabric:  The pattern calls for lightweight fabrics - I ended up using something I would call a "winter weight" - quite substantial, and a bit of a concern because of the possibility that it would pull the dress down.  It's a lovely stretch woven - another find from Fabrix -  a burn test was inconclusive, but the important part of it to me is that it feels quite yummy :)  And in the end  it's stable enough that I think it will hold its shape nicely.   I lined the bodice with a stretch Bemberg rayon, which has just a little less stretch than the fashion fabric, and they played well together.

The Fitting:  I muslined the bodice, and ended up doing my usual narrow/sloping/forward shoulder adjustments.  I also thought the neckline was too wide for me, so I added 1/2" all the way round the neck.  This turned out to be perfect.  The muslin (in a woven) wiggled over my head easily enough, so I eliminated the zipper.   If I make another one, in a summery woven (which is very likely!) I will probably fit the bodice a bit more snugly and add the zipper.

I used a very scientific and precise method of tissue fitting to determine the appropriate length, documented in these pictures:

Length of pattern as drawn

Carefully folded up a precise 4" -
the length I decided on

Note about lengthening or shortening the pattern:  The skirt has an upper section and a lower section; the pattern pieces are marked to "lengthen or shorten here" on BOTH the upper and lower sections.  Unless you really want the upper section to be a different length, I strongly advise simply cutting off (or adding to) the length along the hem edge of the bottom pieces.   If you try to adjust both upper and lower, you will end up with pieces that don't match up.  Trust me.  (Dorothy found the same problem in her PR review.)

I'm 5'4" (almost), and I'm happy with the length shortened by 4".

The Process:  This is a well-drafted pattern, and the instructions are clear and easy.  (Yay!)  Everything went together beautifully.    All of the pictures and instructions that one would need are right in the pattern envelope :)

I did take a little side trip when I decided to add pockets - I blogged about my method here in my previous post.

Here's a look at the partially made dress, with the upper portion of the skirt attached to the bodice.    A short skirt lover could stop right here if they wanted!  The lower skirt is simply 4 rectangles sewn together - very easy to shorten the length after it's all put together, if you wanted to wait until that point.

The Results:

The Pose.
Of Course.
One simply must do The Pose.

Because I'm also going to pose like this
on a regular basis.....

Looking Normal.

LOVE me a pocket!!!

The necklace is a creation by Don Pezzano of Urbandon - if you're not familiar with his work, check him out!  Mostly he designs and makes menswear, but his jewelry is unique and amazing!

So, where should I go with my version of the LBD?

Next up:  A 'should-probably-have-my-head-examined' project - something I made once and  sweated blood and tears over, and in the end get very little (if any) wear out of....and I'm doing it again?   Yes, yes I am.   To be revealed....