And why not, says I. Sometimes the bodice is perfect, but the skirt not so much. Or vice versa. And that indeed was the case for this dress. I was making an outfit to wear to the races, and race wear is a devilishly trick beast to define. Much fancier than normal day wear, but not so fancy that you start slipping into cocktail hour. If it looks at home in a nightclub, it ain't race wear! Likewise, if you can recycle your outfit to wear to the office, you haven't nailed it either. It's got to be sophisticated, sharp yet look good in the sunshine.
I had a vision, and it seems I needed two patterns to make the magic happen!
I have long been in love with McCalls 7835 - the skirt in particular was calling my name - but once I made the bodice I realised I had erred into "very well dressed wedding guest" territory. Dóh! I needed a bodice that would keep the outfit dressy, without being over the top glam. I rifled through my pattern stash and came upon McCalls 7720. "Hmm", I thought to myself. "Jorthy old girl, this just might work!"
Now, a sensible person would have done a muslin, but I like to throw caution to the wind and sew on the wild side! Thankfully I had enough spare fabric to attempt bodice #2, so I plunged in, and by Jeeves - it worked!
I'm super happy with how this dress turned out! The bodice is boned and interfaced, and the dress is fully lined. The fabric was a Japanese acetate with a bit of stretch, which made it a very comfortable dress for walking around all day in. The only thing I would have done differently is chosen different shoes - my feet were killing me by the end of the day! But the veil headpiece - now that was a winner! I only wish I could get away with wearing it every day!
Project details:
Patterns: Skirt from McCalls 7835, bodice from McCalls 7720
Fabric: Japanese acetate from Draper's Fabrics.
Notions: 35cm invisible zipper, boning, interfacing.
