Sunday, March 1, 2015

Stripey Summer Dress

Pattern: G*rman Copy
Fabric: Silk twill from The Fabric Store


One of my younger sister's has quite an interesting wardrobe. She's always had a good eye for fashion and home decor and tends to keep her finger on the pulse regarding what's on-trend. I usually only get to visit her once a year, so when I do, I love looking through her wardrobe at the past year's purchases. We generally buy the same size in RTW so I get to try everything on. During my last visit, I whipped out the sad leftover rolls of Christmas paper and traced off a few things.

One of the dresses was a cute summery G*rman dress. The original dress looks a little funkier than mine - G*rman always has fabulous prints so it's hard to complete. It was also quite a bit shorter. I wanted my a little longer so it would be work appropriate but I wonder of I've gone a tad too long and entered into the world of frump. Hmmmmm. This could be a super quick alteration. Maybe it would help if I was actually wearing shoes. These photos was taken immediately after sewing the dress, as I wandered out to show off my new creation to my husband, which kind of explains the lack of shoes and sad looking hair. But hey, I did throw on a necklace, so it's not all bad.


I know that this is not a particularly flattering silhouette on me. The original wasn't super fabulous either. However, I was completely taken with the comfort factor. More and more, I'm reaching for really comfortable cuts - cuts that do not inhibit movement at all and are cool and floaty, particularly in summer. Summer in the tropics can be tough - the heat and humidity can become quite oppressive and debilitating. I want clothes that carry me though the day, rather than contributing to the discomfort. I'm quite confident that this dress and I will become good friends.


I found the construction of the pockets quite interesting. The contrasting black strip is actually part of the pocket facing. It folds back on itself. Quite nifty!


A few deets:
- The main fabric is a lightweight silk twill.
- The black contract is a silk habutai that has been interfaced with lightweight fusible interfacing.
- Armholes and neckline are finished with self-made bias binding.
- The hemband is cut on the fold.

7 comments:

  1. Ooh, that silk twill is awesome! I'm all about easy shapes right now, too, so I am really digging this. It has a flapper feel to it with the drop waist.

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  2. I love it and I think you're very clever to work out how to trace off something with bust darts.

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  3. I have this fabric and love how it looks made up! I really like the black band at the bottom and the pocket trim.

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  4. I imagine this dress feels quite floaty to wear. A swish of silk in summer makes a girl feel good.

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  5. Like fabric epiphanies ive got this fabric and i love how it looks made up. Perfect dress for the tropics!

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  6. Pretty fabric! I'd be interested to see it shorter, actually. I think it would change the look completely.

    I'm coming to similar conclusions about the place of swishy, 'relaxed fit' clothes in the tropics. I loves me my fitted tops and hip-hugging trousers, but more and more I'm reaching for the looser floofy clothes.

    I'm in the process of making a friend who lives in Brisbane some of the simpler clothing from the Tina Givens pattern range. She's after easy-fitting things to suit the humidity too.
    http://www.sewtinagivens.com/#!sewing-patterns/c1se

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  7. Absolutely love it , you are very clever Bernice!!

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