Vogue Pattern Splurge

Two weeks ago I bought five patterns from Vogue. I had been having an eye on a couple of Vogue patterns for a while but wasn't ready to shell out the 20 something dollars for a pattern that I'm not sure of when to make and that in a perfect world I could easily draft myself (yeah right!). So along came the sale and that's where Vogue had me.

So let me introduce you to my brand new patterns:

First up is this little 40s number: Vogue 2876. I would like to sew this dress in a jersey knit to give it a more contemporary feel. What do you think? Could a knit fabric work on this?

Next up are two patterns from the Claire Shaeffer Couture Collection. "Couture" was really the selling word for me. Especially with the Vogue 8333 jacket pattern I ordered. Jackets I have made previously don't seem to have that elegant touch of couture refinement. I love that this jacket has a defined waist and is not boxy. The side pockets are an elegant and clever detail as well. I think it looks a bit like an old-fashioned riding jacket.

These Vogue 7468 couture pants could be turned into a nice pair of Marlene pants if I draft the pant legs a bit wider. They would be nice in a light-weight wool for winter. I want to bring more high-waisted pants into my wardrobe. They are so classy!

This Vogue 9668 dress pattern was perhaps the most sensible choice (read least labor intensive choice). I had the first view in mind with the heart-shaped neckline and the short sleeves, but I've seen some pretty stunning  versions of the slim sleeveless one in the middle on Pattern Review, so this version seems intriguing too. Only the last one is rather sad looking. Perhaps as a beach cover-up (in the 80s, that is).

Last up is my absolute favorite: Vogue 1044. Isn't this dress adorable? I love the styling in the longsleeved version with the little black hat. I would love to make this dress for summer in a light and preferably wrinkle-free fabric, because I can only imagine how annoyed I would be if I had to iron the front tucks of the bodice and the huge gathered and pleated skirt every time the dress needed a wash. The dress would probably end up in my wardrobe unironed and never be worn, like so many wrinkled things in my closet. I'm quite lazy, really.

Have any of you tried one of these patterns? How did it turn out?

Well, so much for my newly acquired patterns. And before I get too carried away with future sewing plans I'll head back to my sewing machine to continue working on my V&A Couture Dress, which I hope to be sharing with you shortly.

The V & A Couture Dress

This dress is from the Victoria & Albert Collection. It was part of their "The Golden Age of Couture" exhibition which was back in 2008 and they put up a pattern of it for download so that we eager seamstresses can recreate this lovely dress. The pattern can be found here.

Well, and I've been trying. I like the shape of the dress. I particularly like the side pockets of the skirt, but I really don't like the band across the bust. Any embellishment straight across the bust is a definite no-no for full-busted gals like me. I thought I could just leave out the band and go ahead with the dress but that isn't really possible because I'd still be left with a seam right across the bust.

So, yes, I decided to draft the bodice myself from scratch instead of fiddling around with the original pattern. So far this has only turned out semi-successfully. At the moment my bodice has some pretty sad looking, strangely bulging and wonky bust darts (pictured below). I have decided that this is unacceptable for a couture dress so I'll need to cut the front bodice again.

We'll see how it goes. I'll keep you posted on the progress of the not-so-couture dress. In the meantime I'll leave you drooling over some of the items that were on display in "The Golden Age of Couture" exhibition. A Vintage lover's wet dream! The homepage of the exhibition is very nice too with lots of information on the designs and the couture houses of the time.

 

 

 Chiffon Evening Dress - Jean Dessès

 

Evening Dress, Voided Silk Velvet by 

Bianchini Férier - Jean Dessès  

 Zémire - Christian Dior

The Raspberry Dress

This dress is made from Simplicity 3673, a re-issue1950s pattern. It's my very first dress in pink since, well, maybe when I was about 10. But I really love it.

The sizing of this pattern is rather generous. I made a size smaller than usual and still had to tuck away quite a bit around the waist and hips. You  can also see two lovely versions of this dress on Gertie's Blog.

Here is another photo of the bright yellow skirt lining that always makes me happy when I put on my dress:

If you are interested in working with this pattern yourself you can also check out my review of the pattern on patternreview.com. Happy sewing!