Saturday, March 24, 2007

Vogue 8229. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.





Three ways, at least!

As you can see, I've been busy creating different permutations of Vogue 8229. On all the dresses, I omitted the bottom ruffle. I actually don't dislike it and I wouldn't mind trying a dress with the ruffle included, but I just wasn't into it with these for some reason.






1. Mod-inspired, sleeveless shift made of B&W graphic print silk. Here I added 3/4" to the top of the neckband becuase I felt it needed to be a bit bolder without the sleeves there. The finished width here is 2.5"; on the other dresses the neckband is 1.75" wide.



2. Flutter sleeve dress make of silk crepe de chine from Nanette Lepore, it's black with a tiny floral print (I got that last few yards of it for only $6.50/yard at the Sawyer Brook closeouts section!). I shortened the sleeves by ~4" and omitted the elastic.



3. Easy breezy shift with elbow-length sleeves made of cornflower blue linen/rayon blend. As drafted, the elasticized sleeves covered my elbows, so I shortened them by ~2". Also, I added pockets in the side seams using a pattern piece from a robe pattern that I have.

The silk versions are just so wonderfully body skimming and figure flattering. The linen version is admittedly a bit of a potato sack. I think it's because of the voluminous sleeves, and the fabric is a bit less drapey than the silk. I don't really mind though. I think it'll be one of those comfortable dresses I keep reaching for over and over this summer...

I had a lot of fun with this pattern and I'm certain I'll use it again this season, but for now I'm looking forward to trying something new!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

All three dresses are really nice. The silks are lovely on you, but I can see how the linen blend is going to be a great summertime basic.

That pattern is still sitting on my pile....I think it will be there a while yet.

Anonymous said...

Those dresses are lovely on you! They turned out just lovely.

renee said...

I hated this pattern when I saw it. It was the ruffle. I just couldn't see past it. But, these are amazing. It's on my list and I've got a great graphic print for them.

Christina said...

Yeah, this pattern is definitely a winner, especially when you see $200+ versions in the stores!

Anonymous said...

Those dresses are darling! I love that swingy look on you.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic, I love all three of them. That shade of blue is gorgeous.

C.S. said...

Those are all very cute! I was wondering what kind of silk fabric did you use for the black/white version. The pattern calls for silk-like broadcloth, but I'm having trouble finding silk broadcloth I like, and thought maybe I could use a silk charmeuse instead?

Christina said...

Hi Tope, I don't really know what type of fabric the B&W silk is... it behaved like a nice woven cotton in many ways, it was easy to work with (not too slinky). I think you could definitely do this in charmeuse. In fact, charmeuse would be fabulous!

C.S. said...

I think I may go with a charmeuse, then. Thanks for the advice! Love your blog :)

SuBoo said...
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SuBoo said...

After being inspired by your pics, I had a go at a silk version of the dress and have come to a bit of a halt. It's just not hanging well on me - I suspect my less-than-perfect body has something to do with it - so I've put it aside for a bit.

Your dresses look so fantastic that I was quite disappointed with mine. Am hoping a break will give me a fresh outlook on it!

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