“More Love” Patrick Kelly’s Heart Bustier Dress

     The overall theme to the entire life of the “American in Paris” designer Patrick Kelly was one of boundless vibrancy of life, hopeful positivity, and more love.  This welcoming, joyful spirit extended into every portion of his life, but is especially visible through each item he made throughout his all-too-short career.   However, being a black man growing up in the 1950s and 60s of the southern states of America, he was by no means immune from being the target of hate, prejudice, marginalization, and dismissive behavior.  In return, his loving attitude towards life in all its facets is what made him so especially respected by everyone who he met…because love is the best kind of contagion!  Perhaps it was a result of his taking to heart the words of the great Martin Luther King Jr., “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”  He always began every runway show by spray painting a giant red heart on the wall which showed his name.  How can you not fall for a designer so centered on the cultivating the basic needs of life – love and happiness?!

     Thus, I feel that a dress from Patrick Kelly’s “More Love” collection (of Fall/Winter 1988-1989) is most appropriate to share here for Valentine’s Day.  Do you see the “sweetheart” shaping front and center on my dress?  After all, he is one of my favorite designers – and not just because we share the same name – besides being my current muse and inspiration.  Even with this post having a ‘love’ theme, highlighting this designer will not be exclusive just to Valentine’s Day.  I have plenty more of his designs to showcase here on my blog yet to come.  May Patrick Kelly’s influence through my sewing his fashion fill your life with a little “More Love” through the entire year!

THE FACTS:

FABRIC:  “Peach Cable Knit Athleisure Fabric” from my local JoAnn Fabrics store.  It is 49% Rayon, 29% Polyester, 19% Nylon.

PATTERN:  Vogue ‘Individualist’ pattern #2165, year 1988, an original from my personal collection

NOTIONS NEEDED:  one long 22” invisible zipper and lots of thread; I added a button to close the neck

TIME TO COMPLETE:  This was made in about 15 hours and finished in December 2022.

THE INSIDES:  The fabric does not unravel or fray so the inner edges are left raw and unfinished

TOTAL COST:  Two yards of the knit fabric cost me $25 and the heart buttons and zipper brought my total up to just over $30.

     This is not the first time I have channeled Patrick Kelly, but rather the third.  My first look (posted here) was inspired by his trademark “buttons” dress.  Go read through that post of mine to learn an overview of his life and the why and what I admire so much about him.  Then, for the “Designin’ December” annual sewing challenge, my entry used an authentic Patrick Kelly sewing pattern to channel a year 1988 dress with his second prevailing theme of bows.  My post about that dress can be found here, and was a blast to make and wear for Christmas. 

     This post is about another 1988 design, also sewn using a trademarked Patrick Kelly pattern.  The “More Love” collection of winter of 1988 is wonderful because he dedicated it solely to a love theme.  All the symbols so frequently associated to love, especially around Valentine’s Day (such as a heart, the color red, kiss prints, and roses), were often subtly worked into almost every collection.  However, this post’s dress unabashedly embraces the theme with no distractions.  It was convenient that the “More Love” collection came on the heels of two “Salute to the Heart Strings” AIDS awareness charity events in July (at Atlanta, Georgia) and then in October of 1988 (at the Louvre).  Patrick Kelly recycled some of the same designs he produced for those two AIDS charity shows to use in his “More Love” collection for the runways of Paris because he saw love as being just that – unconditional and non-judgmental.  My pattern’s original dress design can be spotted in a classic black and red combo on the woman at the far left (partial collection seen in picture at right).

     I normally gravitate towards softer colors for Valentine’s Day and avoid a bold red unless it is Christmas or I am wearing an Agent Peggy Carter outfit.  Therefore, as much as I did want to make a version of that was identical to the model, I also wanted to stay true to myself…and that is the best way to show love to yourself!  When I found this soft pinkish cable knit, it just instantly struck me as being “the right one” for my heart bustier Patrick Kelly pattern.  Using this modern novelty knit is meant to be a reference to 1985 to 1986 when he freelanced under the Italian brand “Touche” in conjunction with another of my top favorite designers – Enrico Coveri. He also specialized in knitwear couture that had a quirky spirit of fun.  (I posted here about his life when I sewed a suit set using some Alta Moda Coveri wool)  Kelly and Coveri had a similar exuberant approach to both life and fashion.  Both men died in the year 1990 at a young age (their mid-30s) from AIDS.  Kelly’s preliminary collection of 1984 was a reworking of designer Kenzo pieces while Coveri had been dubbed the “Italian Kenzo” since his pioneer collection, circa 1979.  Both also used similar Italian fabric manufacturing firms to source the knitwear for their collections and both were branded for their clingy, body-hugging fashions, as well.  The two of them had a significant amount in common, more than I have room here to recount!  Coveri however favored pastels or Kelly’s use of primary colors so maybe the former’s influence won out more than I first realized.

     My dual designer reference is so niche that no one but me would ever know, but that is just how I like it.  This is the ultimate benefit to the fact that patterns with a famous designer source are made available to the public.  True fans behind designer sponsored patterns can geek out and help spread appreciation to that namesake.  However, even the casual sewist just looking for something different still renders a designer’s pattern successful.  However, designer patterns are the perfect opportunity for the casual sewist to inform oneself.  Maybe your next new favorite designer can have its beginning with merely being curious over the name on an envelope cover!

     This is a “party in the front, business in the back” kind of design looking at the line drawing only, but really is a dress that only comes to life on a body.  I love my swayed, curvy back more than I normally do in this dress.  It makes me love my curves!  A designer who can give a woman clothing that helps her love the skin she is in has to be a real winner.  At the same time as feeling smoking with confidence, I am also warm and cozy…what a wonderful combination for winter that is hard to find in ready-to-wear!  The neck band is petite and loose fitting so that it is much less confining than a turtleneck and not that noticeable.  The mock bustier makes the covered up neckline become interesting and sultry – not at all boring or unassertive.  I have so many ideas for making other versions of this pattern, such as Patrick Kelly’s classic button covered version as well as a summer-worthy bold color blocked version, but my first go at this pattern was a tame yet nonetheless rousing success.

     I found some slight quirks to the pattern’s fit along the way to completion.  The shoulder line was extended and generous, seemingly intended for substantial shoulder padding to fill in the shape from inside.  It was definitely channeling the classic 80s “power dressing” look with such strong shoulders.  I pared it down to suit both my taste and my smaller frame.  The sleeves also turned out very long in length, not just because of the extended shoulder line.  I needed to do a 2 ½ inch hem.  Then, somehow the bottom hemline ended up much shorter in the back than in the front.  I do not think it was entirely due to the give of the stretchy sweater knit.  I think the pattern does not account for a full sized booty!  I had to even out the hemline by trimming off the front, which was tricky to do as the knit is very soft and bouncy.  My choppy cutting job only made it more challenging to hem the dress for an even fall on my body.  Hand stitching the hemming – after many try-ons in between pinning up the length – took almost half the total time I spent making the entire dress.  So it goes in sewing…sometimes the process of doing the final finishing details can be so tedious!

     Other than these small tweaks to the shaping, the general fit was spot on and the assembly was fantastic.  The design was simple but also complex at the same time.  Sure, most of the dress looked pretty basic and straightforward and was for most of the time. Then, the front bustier midriff section turns into the most challenging part to the entire dress.  I had to take my time to do that section perfectly because it is the highlight of the dress, after all!  The curved seams – and one sharp point where the V of the bustier dips – when combined with my chosen stretchy, thick knit fabric made for a tricky situation.  However, there are also applied contrast bands which are tucked into the bustier seams.  The bands are shaped the same as the bustier, and double faced for a clean finish, but made the seams a total of four layers to sew.  I hand stitched the outer (loose) edges of the bustier bands down to the dress because I wanted the thread to be invisible.

     I hope you noticed that I used the “wrong” side of the fabric for the middle bustier section and its seam bands.  The underside of the fabric is smooth without the cable texture and was a great way to make the most out of the design while going with one solid color tone.  It subtly emphasizes the fact that the midriff is a whole separate section.  I don’t expect everyone to see the difference at first or even grasp what little thing I did to change that panel up.  Yet, I’m not complaining because I also enjoy the way the dress doesn’t scream about the care and attention put into it.  I’m seeing it as my own designer’s secret (because yes, everyone who makes their own clothes is their own designer, I believe.)  I love the way a great garment can have a complexity which keeps getting better the more you look at it.  This is one of the things I love about couture, and wanted to emulate here in some small degree.

     No true Patrick Kelly garment, even if homemade, would be complete without his favorite button pins.  As Kelly considered 3 to be his lucky number, I went with that many buttons pins.  These are not true originals, but merely buttons from my local fabric store that I hot glued pin backs onto.  True vintage Patrick Kelly buttons that have his logo on them can go for a spectacular selling price. 

The big round red button is closest to his “classic” button pin look, where there are four holes that have black thread sewn in an X across the middle.  The other two buttons of a heart and of red lips are a direct reference to the “More Love” collection, which was rife with all the common visual symbols related to love.  Lip buttons, lip shoe clips, and even a lip shaped hat all can be found in his collections from the last two years of his career, but the red heart was perhaps his dearest symbol.  A red heart (and his brand’s controversial logo) is on his grave in Paris, France along with the words “Nothing is Impossible”.  I added a giant red heart button to close up the back neckline of the dress so that there would permanently be a clear, classic Patrick Kelly symbol affixed to this dress. 

     Patrick Kelly’s incessant expressions of outward love were unique in the way he worked such efforts towards transforming hate into appreciation.  The main example of this is the way he projected stereotypical images and items of black American folklore in a way that tries to re-appropriate them into a celebration for heritage and tradition.  He made it as plainly obvious as he could that he was a black American designer in a culture that was painfully not yet fully accepting of that fact.  For as outgoing as he was, his friends said he was personally a very private person, so his use of outward representations for love (no matter if others did not see things his way) became his means of being vocal about his race, his family, his passions, his creativity, and his hopefulness for a better future.  It wasn’t just about crafting a brand for himself – it was about being unapologetically himself so he could spread to others the same welcoming, respectful, joyful connection with his people that he himself felt.  He wanted to help create a better reality that he did not yet see existing in the world.  To me, all this is what adds so much beauty to each of his designs.  The language of love comes in many different forms, and through Patrick Kelly it can be universally understood via fashion.  Let’s have a little “More Love” of a different kind this Valentine’s Day!

1938’s Fashionable Floral Stripes

The decade of the 1930s probably has the most joyful, extravagant, and inventive use of stripes to be seen in the last 100 years of fashion.  Garments back then – for both men and women – had striped material used in a dizzying array of differing methods to either complement the figure underneath or showcase the talent behind the design.  Visit this “Witness2Fashion” blog post for some visual proof of this fact.  Sometimes stripe directions were used straightforwardly, but more often mixed up to compliment paneled designs (such as I did for this 30s blouse) or used diagonally on the bias grain (see this dress of mine).  Back then, stripes were even used for evening wear, on winter coats, as well as shoes, hats, and everything in between. 

Year 1938 fashion inspiration.

Yet, 1938 is special in the way it stands out as the niche year for a specifically kind of striped print.  When I happened to run across a fabric that closely imitated the style of a 1938 striped floral, I was thrilled to have a chance to channel this short-lived vintage “fad” in my own sewing by combining it a 1938 dress pattern from my stash.  I love being able to recreate a killer vintage look, of course, but it is fun to do so as a modern comfort piece by working with a forgiving stretch satin-finish poly.  You’d never guess, right?  For me, this project is the epitome of learning from society’s fashionable past while also building upon and personalizing it for today. 

It is important to note that later on, this post will also be highlighting my fabulous vintage style hat, which I also made.  It is a refashion of a modern wool felt fedora.  Real vintage hats (in good wearable condition) are often beyond my preferred price range, and I really wanted a specific ‘look’ to match with my ensemble ideal.  It is much more satisfying for me to have made something with my own hands, using what was immediately available, and at a ridiculously reasonable price than high priced instant gratification.  I also made the grey belt (posted here) which can be seen in some of my pictures, but that already has had its own feature so I will not talk about it here.  I’ll do whatever it takes to assemble together everything I need to imitate those late 1930s fashion illustrations that so enthrall me where all the trimmings – jewelry, scarf, belt, gloves, etc. – are piled on in excess but somehow perfectly coordinate while also contrasting. 

All the rest of my accessories that you see are true vintage pieces, most of which have come to me from my paternal Grandmother.  I couldn’t decide if I preferred a grey belt or a rust colored belt – the latter of which is more true to the Tyrolean and peasant influence of the late 1930s.  With its laced front, the rust colored suede belt is just like what can be seen in fashions which span 1937 to 1940, even though the piece itself is from the 1970s.  We took pictures with both belt and color themed options.  As you go through my post, let me know at the end which prevailing color in accessories you prefer to pair with my dress!  Do you see how much accessories alone can change the feeling of or add appeal to a dress?

THE FACTS:

FABRIC:   The dress was made of a stretch polyester satin, the same material as what I used to make this vintage 1946 dress.  The hat is a 100% wool felt, originally an American Eagle brand modern fedora.

PATTERN:  McCall #3102, circa March or April of year 1938, an original pattern from my personal collection, while the hat I made with no pattern

NOTIONS NEEDED:  For the dress, I used lots of thread (of course), one zipper for the side seam closure, a few buttons for the front bodice (I used true vintage buttons from the stash of my husband’s Grandmother), and some cotton broadcloth scraps which I used as interfacing.  Everything I needed for the hat was repurposed from off of the hat, so I needed no extra supplies.

TIME TO COMPLETE:  The dress was sewn in about 20 hours while the hat was made in two hours and both were finished at the end of August 2018

THE INSIDES:  as the dress is a knit and the hat is felt, neither piece has edges that ravel and thus the edges have been left unfinished

TOTAL COST:  This fabric had been bought too many years back for me to remember how much I spent to buy it, but I bought it on clearance from the now defunct Hancock Fabrics store.  I believe I had about 2 ½ yards of material in total.  Everything else I needed was as good as free, coming from my notions stash on hand.  The hat I refashioned only cost me $10 to purchase second-hand.  My total cost for this outfit was probably $30.

The striped fabric I was working with soon became more than solely an aesthetic or historically based choice but ended making the pattern I was working with easier to construct than it would have been otherwise.  As the entire main body gets pleated down (only down to mid-thigh for ease of movement) I merely followed the lines of the stripes on the fabric to aid me in making the pleats.  It helped that this was a 30’s pattern and therefore generally straight-lined and not very curvy.  The width of one row of striping was the depth of the pleats, and figuring that much out saved me from having to chalk mark a plethora of fold lines.  The vintage pattern – which was printed much like a modern one because it was a McCall’s brand – suddenly was much less intimidating despite being covered in pleat lines and balance marks! 

This gets me wondering if perhaps stripes were popular for reasons such as this, to aid in the sewing of a very geometric leaning design.  Stripes get the bad rap for being more challenging to work with since they present a challenge to match up along seam lines.  However, this dress proves that is not always the case.  For pleated patterns, using fabric that is striped can definitely aid in the construction of your garment.  Sewing is very much tied to math, so use that fact to your advantage and make sewing easier.

Sears ad from August of 1938 that shows fabric and fashion in floral striping prints

I wanted to level up the slimming powers of the color black and have the direction of my print run vertical, even though floral stripes (as the blog “Witness2Fashion” states here) are often associated with flannel nightgowns when used lengthwise.  The popularity of the “Lantz of Salzburg” line of clothing helped commercialize the Tyrolean and “peasant” look for American women’s mainstream fashion in the late 1930’s.  I have found such floral stripes labelled “Romany striping” in late 1930s original Sears brand ad paraphernalia for either fabric or the dresses that are in such a print.  These have a clear Polish, Hungarian, Bavarian, Czech, and Balkan influence to their quaint, colorful, geometrically laid out designs as seen in the old advertising illustrations.  Perhaps the term “Romany” referred to the Roma people so often stereotyped as the classic “peasant” influence for 1920s to 1970s vintage fashion? 

Floral stripes may have been fashionable street wear in the late 30’s, but they became mostly relegated to nightwear in the WWII era.  With the onset of war, the ethnic fashion of Europe was confined to bed chamber clothing or at least watered down in obvious cultural influence for American women.  In the 1950s, a brand new batch of floral striped cottons became popular for full-skirted, cute summer sundresses of the era, but emerged looking closer to vintage bed sheet or wallpaper prints then what was what seen in the 1930s.  My own dress’ floral stripes are rather subtle and not very obvious.  The ‘stripes’ are more like trailing vines, but definitely botanical upon close inspection.  At some point, I would love to find a true “Romany striping” from the 30s and use it for another of my ’38 patterns because this first attempt is a big win for my wardrobe!     

As I mentioned above, as 30’s patterns are generally straight-lined and do not account for full hips, I added necessary shaping into the side seams.  This way I did not mess up the layout of the pleats down the front of the dress body.  I didn’t try too hard to do any matching in the layout of the pattern pieces, but the stripes seem to match in most places anyway.  Overall the closely spaced stripes make for a busy print that hides any flaws in my half-hearted effort at matching.  The print sure does visually elongate my body, giving the illusion that I am taller and slimmer than my petite frame size says I am.  It thereby conveys the ideal 1930s body type image on my definitely not 30’s era appropriate hip size.  I made sure to have the stripes run horizontal in the shoulder panels, though.  This gives my dress strongly framed, squared up shoulders that hint forward to the 1940s era, with a nod towards a menswear influence.  Laying out the stripes horizontally in the shoulder panels balances out all the other vertical lines, thereby further elongating my torso.  Sometimes fashion can be merely about creating a certain visual imagery for the body through perfect placement or mere exaggeration of details.

Along such a topic, I would be remiss if I did not further address this dress’ fabulous sleeves.  Amongst all the straight lines and stripes going on, eve the sleeves are uniquely geometric with the sleeve cap head being nothing box right angles to form a box shape.  When I said above that the shoulders are squared off, I meant that…literally!  I’ve never seen this kind of sleeve before and I love it because it is really comfy to wear as well as interesting.  The pattern recommended some sort of stabilization over the sleeve cap area, such as canvas or stiff crinoline, to be sewn in with the seams but as this is a modern interpretation of a vintage style, I merely used cotton iron-on interfacing.  The sleeves have a life all their own and smashing them down under a blazer, sweater, or coat does not crush them – they pop back to their intended shape!  The things to see and learn from using vintage patterns never fail to amaze me.

The neckline is unexpectedly versatile.  I am glad of this since I was not a fan of the high tied neck in the illustration, as necklines too confining around my throat freak me out.  However, I also felt such a neckline suited the design so I left it as-is and made it a part of the dress anyways.  As it turned out, the tie – being a stretchy knit – is not as restricting as I thought it would be (and I can tie it loosely, after all).  Even still, if I merely tuck the tie end into my dress I have the appearance of a plain neckline.  Taking that a step further, if I also undo the top button and flap the facing open then the plain neckline looks like it has lapels.  I mixed up the necklines in my photos, since (like my accessories) I don’t know which way I liked best.  I love clothes that have options.

For my hat, I started off by buying a basic wool felt fedora so I had a “blank canvas” with which to re-block, cut, or otherwise refashion as I so desired.  As I was going to do a hot steam treatment to the crown to turn it into a new shape at some point, anyways, I had no qualms about finding this secondhand.  It was very clean and at a steal of a price for such a good quality, good condition, and good brand name felt hat!  My main inspiration was a 1930s original item I found through a vintage seller’s online site.  No matter how much I wanted it, I just couldn’t deal with the sticker shock.  The crown shape was pretty basic, in a tricky specific shape, yet with minimal stitching.  I felt from the outset that this was something I was capable of reproducing, and there is nothing like having that preliminary confidence to give you a vision to go on. 

As my hat turned out, it is slightly different than the original inspiration yet still the same in the general shape and idea.  Nevertheless, having put the effort into this piece, I personally prefer my own version!  It matches perfectly with my dress (and other items in my wardrobe, as well) and is a 1930’s shape that still carries a sort of modern air.  It sits on my head effortlessly while also not messing up my hair, since it kind of perches more than hugs my crown.  Even still, I added an attached headband of elastic thread – so thin it gets disguised in my hair so easily- that goes around the back of my head. 

My hat was happily a zero-waste project, too!  Everything that was there on the hat as I bought it is on it now as a vintage-style refashion – the felt has just been cut and steamed into a new shape and the leather decorative ties went towards becoming the “string” that brought the crown together.  I really love the vintage style hats that I make for so many reasons, but the last reason may just be the way I don’t have to be as delicate or careful as I would be with an old original piece.  I know fashionable hats may be out of style the way they were in the 1930s, but with a hat like this one I will not care.  I will wear my me-made hat as much as I desire so as to bring more than just stocking caps back in style (hopefully) for fall and winter!

The proof of how much I enjoy wearing the hat and dress is in the fact each has become my frequent go-to item, either separate or together, for an easy vintage look.  Worn together, though, the dress and hat pairs with all my favorite shoes, jewelry, and blazer colors.  I like how I can brighten the dress up with yellow for summer, keep it all black for a funeral, or go with burgundy, beige, or pastel tones. 

Me and my son “cuttin’ a rug” out in the street’s stage at the Jazz Crawl!

My best pairing outfit pairing for this dress may just be from exactly one year ago, when my husband, son, and some acquaintances all went to an outdoor live Jazz music festival which travels down several blocks of a city street and goes on for the course of a whole day.  We showed up in head-to-toe vintage and caught the attention of photographers.  Thus, we ended up getting some good pictures after all, since we were too busy enjoying ourselves dancing the day away to the lively tunes!  I wore a true vintage peach rayon gabardine blazer, with my rust orange belt and me-made hat, and black and white spectator heels from Chelsea Crew.  Visit my Instagram post (here) on the Jazz Crawl to see some extra pictures.  We had a grand day out and my outfit was just what I needed for the occasion.  The stretch fabric and the little knee pleats of my dress were perfect for swing dancing…I would have never guessed this benefit when I made it!

Floral stripes are a fun spin off of the traditional plain lines.  Such a fabric pattern is a wonderful way to incorporate botanical prints into your colder weather wardrobe without looking like you are sporting a spring print out-of-place.  Finding that there is a certain year of fashion history that excelled at this specialty floral stripe helped me discover a medium through which to enjoy something new for my vintage wardrobe…something I love to wear!  Also, my hat was so much easier (and cheaper) than would be guessed by appearances so I definitely suggest giving refashioning of secondhand headgear a try.  This is such a great way to get yourself that dream millinery piece and customize your accessories at a more achievable level while also having fun learning a new skill.  All around, creating this outfit was a great experience for me, and you will not be disappointed if you try out a 1938 look for yourself.  Everyone loves flowers, right?  So – stripes that are floral cannot be anything but fabulous, right?!

A Bold Upgrade to Your Modern T-Shirt Dress

Vintage styles are my preferred ‘look’, even for a comfy everyday outfit, but yet I do enjoy getting out of my comfort zone to sew up boldly individual fashions for myself in the styles of today.  I want to make sure I am in touch with today sufficiently to still enjoy modern designs here and there.  After all, although I do not follow ‘fads’, sometimes I can’t decide what decade I want to wear for the day and just want something that might remotely “fit in” for the 21^st century!   Burda Style patterns are my preferred resource for my modern sewing.

This year I might just have a dress-down Mother’s Day in my newest Burda Style creation!  It is such a bright and fun version of the American favorite – the t-shirt dress – made in deluxe rayon jersey.  This is perfect for these quarantine times when I want to be put together without a lot of effort but still just as comfy as if I was still wearing pajamas.

THE FABRIC:

FABRIC:  100% rayon jersey knit, partially lined in poly power mesh

PATTERN:  Burda Style “Dress with Waist Yoke” #110 from December 2015

NOTIONS:  I just needed lots of thread and a small bit on interfacing.

TIME TO COMPLETE:  This was finished on May 6, 2020 and took me about 8 to 10 hours to make.

TOTAL COST:  I have no idea when or where or how long I’ve had this fabric, so let’s count this as a stash-busting winner and completely free, shall we?!

I have had my eye on this dress pattern ever since it came out, but had not yet come up with a way to highlight the fantastic seaming until now.  It was really a sudden revelation kind of idea.  You see, I have been going through my fabric and notions stash lately – taking account of what I have, what I might run low on, what I should put away, and what I will tackle.  All this is because of Covid-19 shortages of sewing supplies and the resulting impossibilities to shop in stores in person, but also a bit of “spring cleaning” is in my blood.  I am being as smart, sensible, and thrifty as I can lately!

So, in continual process of that organizational effort, I ran across this bright fuchsia rayon jersey and the navy striped rayon jersey both paired up together on the same bolt.  I didn’t realize they had been sitting out of my storage bins for so long.  Then, I suddenly thought of this Burda pattern, long forgotten in the back burner to my mind.  These two fabrics would be an unusual, experimental, and certainly eye-catching combo!  Never one to shy away from a risky project, as you can see, I just went with it.  Yes, I need crazy sewing projects to entertain me right now.

I do think this dress turned out quite well, much better than I expected.  However, I am not totally won over to a t-shirt dress, even when it’s this good.  I suppose I just need some time for this project to grow on me.  The jersey knit is so super soft and slinky – I am not used to how luxurious it feels.  Something this lightweight and weightless on my skin makes me forget what I have on…and that feels kinda wrong to a girl like me totally used to vintage fashions like the 1920s, 50’s, or even 40’s that demand a certain silhouette with the corresponding lingerie and dress padding for shaping that said silhouette.

To help me feel better about wearing this t-shirt dress and also use up my extra fabric, I did take some extra steps to make this both opaque and easier to sew.  I doubled up on the layers of all the dress pieces which have the fuchsia knit.  Rayon jersey is a super fine material and harder to sew than any silk, in my opinion.  It so very easily catches on even a small fray of my fingernails.  My first wearing of the dress created a few new snags.  This is just going to have to be part of the dress, but at least I didn’t mess up the fabric while sewing it.  One layer of jersey is quite sheer and hard to sew without creating holes (yes, even with a ball point needle).  Two layers of rayon jersey knit makes for a heavier weight dress but is much more manageable to turn into a design, more opaque to wear, and easier to place through my sewing machine.

I lined the navy striped knit panels in a nude colored power mesh.  Doubling up on this contrast fabric would only make the second ghost layer of stripes underneath appear weird.  The power mesh does an awesome job at helping to shape the most important, detailed sections – the bodice front and the left skirt flare.  There is an interesting panel under the top half of the side skirt flare to keep the skirt in its slim shape and prevent the pleated section from getting too overwhelming.  I really like the lining panel especially because it keeps the skirt from wrapping into between my legs (which can happen with any knit skirt which is full).

There is one piece that is not like the others, though.  The left waist panel I heavily supported with iron-on interfacing to keep all those gathers in check to the seams above and below it!  Luckily, this was just a small pattern piece because interfacing is almost impossible to come by today, right?!  However, I am very glad I chose to make this one piece stable.  Doing so helps define the design.  I am not exactly sure if a curved corner was what I was supposed to do instead of my very angled finishing but at least it matched up precisely to the other fuchsia skirt section over the center front (not an easy feat here!).   I rather like the angled corners because they match with the lines of the stripes.

I made the necklace myself, too! However, this is just one part to a full jewelry set I have made for a different outfit to be posted soon!

The pros and the cons of sewing this were about equal on the scales, I suppose.  Firstly, don’t forget – this was originally drafted in tall women’s sizing!  On the pattern tracing, I had to take out a horizontal swatch of two inches through the bust to make this work for me, but the jersey knit pulls the whole dress down with its weight so I could have taken out more still.  I did trace out the tall woman’s equivalent to my “normal” Burda size but ended up taking it in along the side seams by an inch or so because of the jersey knit super stretch as well.  The dress length I chose was originally in between the longest length option and the ‘short’ knee length option.  Again, the knit stretches and makes the dress longer than was expected, but I rather like the way it swishes around when I walk, so the length it is will be staying.  I left out the back zipper and opted for no closures as the knit is so stretchy.  There is no need for any hemming to the sleeves and the bottom skirt because this kind of knit does not fray.  Thus, in summary, choosing a knit for this design made certain parts easy (no zipper, no hemming) and other parts harder than necessary (cutting double pieces, adjusting the sizing).  You win some, you lose some, but as long as I have something so cute and wearable for my efforts my time was worth it.

The list of things I want to find time to make is already quite long and Burda Style just keeps coming out with super tempting releases lately to add to my list of sewing projects.  Their vintage reprints are especially enticing and in almost every issue recently.  I’m not complaining, but it does present a bit of a problem.  Anybody out there have ideas for an easy way to keep track of what patterns are in individual sewing magazines?  I have enough Burda magazines now that I need to figure out a way to organize the designs in them which I intend to sew.  I wish it was as easy to file them by garment category as it is my individual patterns in envelopes!   Any insight would be helpful.  In the meantime, I’ll just get back to my crazy quarantine sewing and cooped up cleaning efforts.  I may even do some of that in this post’s dress.  We’ll see.

Under Surveillance

I am never one to pass up an opportunity for what I sew to convey some understated irony.  The opposite of wrinkly is irony, after all (in case you haven’t heard that joke)!  In all seriousness, though – this post’s dress was perfect for a day traveling out in the middle of nowhere, on the edge of Death Valley.  I blend right in with my setting’s colors and am ‘under surveillance’ amidst the open scrub land in my boldly patterned knit version of a Rachel Comey designer piece.  My dress is paired with a casual, relaxed twist on the classic moto jacket for an outfit that accommodates the temperature swings of the desert in spring.

In 2014, Vogue Pattern Company released the pattern to her popular RTW item called the “Surveillance” dress.  It’s always so exciting when Vogue gives a home seamstress the ability to make her own ‘copy’ of a New York fashion item which sells for about $700 normally!!  Granted, I am in no way ‘up to date’ with things by finally getting around to sewing this six years later, but hey – better late to the game than never when it comes to personal fashion.  SO many times it is best to let my fabric and my patterns be paired up naturally as the inspiration strikes or as the setting feels right.  Forcing projects is often a recipe for later being unhappy with the outcome.

Making a jacket out of this lovely burgundy knit has been a long time coming as well, so everything about this outfit is something to be excited over.  As the wardrobe I chose for my travels out west was everything which would pair well with such a rich color, I finally dove into finding the right pattern for the burgundy knit and now have a new favorite versatile piece I dreamed of for years.  There never seems to be enough time in life for all the ideas and aspirations in my head and heart!

THE FACTS:

FABRIC:  For the dress – a cotton, rayon, and poly blend knit; For the jacket – a rayon and poly blend tiny ribbed knit, fully lined in a lightweight black poly interlock

PATTERNS:  Vogue #1406, a Rachel Comey dress pattern from 2014 together with Burda Style #105 jacket from March 2015

NOTIONS:  Just lots of thread, some cuts of interfacing, a few vintage buttons out of the stash I inherited from my Grandmother, and scraps of bias tape went into this ensemble!

TIME TO COMPLETE:  The jacket took about 10 to 12 hours to make, and was finished on February 7, 2020; the dress was made in about 5 hours on January 30, 2020.

TOTAL COST:  As the fabrics for this whole outfit have been sitting in my stash for almost 10 years now (bought years ago at the now defunct Hancock Fabrics), I am counting these pieces as equal to free by this time!  Either way, I only needed 1 ½ yards for the jacket, and almost 3 yards for the dress (because I was working with a large scale repeated print) so I could not have paid all that much because I always found the best prices at Hancock!  My guess is no more than $30 in total.

Here’s how I cut out my pieces (single layer of fabric).

Now, for a designer pattern, Comey’s Surveillance dress has really simple but smart design lines.  The listings describe it as having an “asymmetrical neckline, hugging the body in just the right places, this fitted dress features a tailored bodice with clever tugs at the waist sides (gathers) for a flattering fit.”  I noticed that all the models in the RTW versions had no significant weight or body curves, so I surmised a close-fitting dress for their body type would not fit the same on me.  I made sure to go up one whole size than what the chart showed I needed, and I am glad I did so.  My sleeves were shortened because I like the versatility of ¾ length, and it made the sleeves easier to match with the striping on the dress, but otherwise no other changes were made to the design you see on the line drawing.

The original instructions call for very nice finishing techniques, such as cutting your own bias binding to finish the inner raw edges for the armscye and a fully lined body.  The detailed instructions are great because it gives a glimpse into how the expensive designer dresses are made.  Also, though, after you exhaust yourself doing such details, you may just realize that high end price is rather appropriate for the time, effort, and quality (RTW Surveillance dresses are silk) that goes into them…and they are made in the USA!

Now, I am not one to shy away from (or lack appreciation for) time-consuming ways of sewing high quality garments – goodness, I absolutely love spending ungodly amounts of hours to hand-sew suit coats!  However, my chosen fabric for this design was loose and much too relaxed to be highly tailored, so I stripped construction down to the bare bones here.  I eliminated the full body lining, facings, interfacing, and seam edge finishing (the knit does not ravel).  This made my dress only a 5 hour, ‘one-afternoon-sewing-binge’ kind of project.  As I had went up a size, and my material was stretchy knit, I left out the back zipper as the pattern called for, making this a pop-over dress for effortless dressing.  The center back skirt godet panel was also left out in my version and I merely drafted directly onto the dress itself.  This way the oversized print does not get broken up.

Even with the dress being simplified I had to think out of the box to accommodate supporting certain sections.  The one side of the neckline has a defined shoulder seam, which I supported with seam tape in with the stitching.  However the other shoulder – the one that wraps around from the back to come into the front at the neckline side that dips down – is one piece that drooped off my body.  To fix that I hand stitched down a strip of double fold, ½ inch wide bias tape to the inside across where the shoulder seam would have been.  Bias tape has just a tiny bit of give when it is double folded, but it is a pretty stable – yet simple – way for me to steady the one side of the upper neckline.  I also used double fold bias tape (the red is 1/4 inch wide) to stabilize the side seam and center back waistline gathers.

Can this dress still be in the shadow of New York’s high fashion or considered a designer knock-off when I have reduced it down to such a simple thing to make?  I almost feel badly, but hey – sewing my own clothes makes me a designer too, in my own right, so I am tickled deep down for finding my own unusual way of interpreting Comey’s design.  Even still, I do think that I stuck to her aesthetic, which is described as “combining thoughtful materials, bold prints, and modern silhouettes.”  That is the case with my knit which is a soft as a baby blanket, yet definitely bold, and certainly made into a modern body skimming fit. “Comey’s collections blend function, fashion, and form.  You will find designs that are sophisticated and cool, smart yet playful.”  I find that I made her Surveillance dress much more versatile with no closures needed in an easy-care knit.  My ‘downsizing’ of the details in no way brings this dress away from her trend of classy work-to-dinner-date wear so I’m happy to have a multi-purpose garment done my way!  With modern heels and chandelier earrings this would look so different.

My blazer is the opposite of the dress – it took more time, has finer details, and is not named designer pattern.  It is still a mix of casual and dressy.  It is fitted loosely, almost boxy, so there were none but two tiny bust darts to sew.  With the full body lining and soft knit this jacket feels as cozy as a sweatshirt but appears so much nicer!  The asymmetric closing has many differing ‘looks’ depending on how many (or if any) buttons I close, so it is closer to suiting in this respect, and a nice variant on the traditional moto jacket.

It does have suit jacket style, two-part sleeves for great mobility that doesn’t solely rely on the stretch of the knit.  I played upon the opportunity the seaming and moto style offered to use the other side of the fabric – the side with more of a black overtone and less of a twill finish as what is seen on the main body – for the underarm sleeve panels, collar, and insides of the revers.  For as bold as the dress is, I love the subtlety I added to the details of the jacket.  Choosing vintage leather buttons might not be the best in wash ability, but I liked how they standout without being too obnoxiously different.  As I said above, this is a set full of irony – yes, black, burgundy, and brown can complement one another and a moto jacket doesn’t always have to be in a stark biker style.

My outfit only has me chuffed to go along these lines even further.  As my second Rachel Comey dress, it is quite different from my first – this 40’s inspired Vogue #1209 pattern from 2010.  It will certainly not be my last, either.  I have several more patterns of her’s from Vogue in my cabinet, with fabric in my stash already picked out for them.  Also, I am itching to try another twist on the moto style jacket.  Burda Style has been really killing me with their amazing moto jacket designs over this past year.  Each one they release (and it has been many) has great features, so it will be hard to pick, but I will let the fabric “speak to me” to help decide things for next time.  One thing I do know is how easy it is to determine whether or not I am open to returning to the desert…the answer is a hearty YES!