Friday, November 27, 2009

Lady in Red... continued....

Remember how I said I want a retro-inspired red dress with a fitted bodice and full skirt? Well, I couldn't wait any longer, so today I made this:


It's far from finished- the hem and sleeve edges are raw and the shoulders need to be fitted a little better, but this is the beginning of my red dress. The fabric is a cotton sateen with a bit of stretch to it, so it's going to be an incredibly comfortable dress. I wanted the neckline to be a little more open, but it's actually not terrible and there's fine line between open and obscene, so I'm going to err on the side of caution. Also, I'm still undecided on the sleeves. They started as 3/4, then I trimmed them down to where they are in the picture. I think cap sleeves will make it too summery, so I think to dress up the sleeves now, I'm going to add a little cuff detail with a notch at the center. They're also a little too big, so I need to fit them properly.

Also, I originally planned to have a lot of sculptural detail starting at the left shoulder and flowing down to the right side of the waistline and continuing on to the back-  basically little tiny pleats that gradually get larger until the back is very dramatic- but I think that idea may be a little too much for Lancaster to handle. I do plan to wear this dress to the company Christmas party which isn't exactly wild & crazy. It's hard to see in the picture, but the skirt is actually pleated. I need to press the entire dress- the fabric is really wrinkled, too. I'm also toying with the idea of wearing a small crinoline underneath to add volume to the skirt. I like drama in my clothes, can you tell?

Feel free to chime in on what you think of my latest creation in the comments section (click on "comments" below the post). I welcome feedback on the following:

1.) Sleeve length & style
2.) Pleating detail on bodice as described above
3.) More open neckline
4.) Styling options for various occasions, but particularly my company Christmas party
5.) Crinoline or no crinoline
6.) Overall feedback- what do you think of the dress overall?


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