Haute CoutureFashion Show - Vogue 1305

Today's review is on the second dress that I made for my sister. At first sight, I knew I'd make this dress for the show. It's not your typical dress. And that's what I was going for. I showed it to my sister; she liked it. So it was a winner.

The very first segment of the show was the Sky and Water, the blue challenge. Each participating member was challenged to make a garment that was primarily blue. Any shade: teal, navy, midnight, turquoise, any blue was fine. I selected a beautiful turquoise blue jersey knit from Supreme Novelty Fabrics.

Anyway.., here is my review of  Vogue 1305.  

Pattern Description:
MISSES' DRESS: Semi-fitted, lined, pullover dress (fitted through hips) has a draped right side extending into sleeve, left side slit, shoulder opening, and back opening with button/loop. Note: shoulder opening can be worn as neck opening.

Pattern Sizing:
6 to 22; I used size 12.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
For the most part, it did. There was an issue with the draping though. I will discuss that in the alterations section.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
There was absolutely nothing confusing in the instructions. It went together fairly easy.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like everything about this dress. It made me think of a Grecian Goddess strolling along a topical shore line. I thought it was a perfect design to showcase a beautiful shade of blue.  However, when my sister put the dress on and I saw that there were design flaws with the dress's drape.

Fabric Used:
I used a matte jersey knit for the dress and lining. The pattern says to use a stretch chiffon or stretch charmeuse for the lining. I ignored that suggestions which attributed to the heaviness of the dress.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
This dress fit perfectly except at the fullest part of the hips. I had cut this area about 1/4" wider on either side. So I had a little room to play with. I noticed that the center back and front seams were not perfectly centered. So I looked at the model to check the fit of her dress. Same affect, it pulled slightly off centered. When I let out the hip area, it was closer to being in the center. I think this was a side effect of the draping. I asked my sister to walk around in the dress. We even went outside (pictures of course). The draping did not stay in place.   I wondered why the draping wasn't ruched. So I decided to add little pleats along the draping to keep the draped affect. That worked. The dress is still quite heavy. This is a pretty, low motion dress. Cocktail party, yes. Dancing, no. Special note: My sister is 5'10" and I didn't have to add any length to this dress. It's very long.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
This was a one time sewing project. This dress is so unique. Who would need more than one? Don't get me wrong; it is beautiful. Yes, I do recommend it for that special event.

Conclusion: This is a easy dress to sew. It is unique and definitely an eye catcher. You should choose a lighter weight fabric for the lining to keep the dress from becoming too heavy.  Also, consider ruching or pleating the draped side to maintain the draped affect. All in all, it is a beautiful dress.