This one’s for a friend to wear to a wedding.
It was a bit of a sudden change of gears to switch from making the bride’s dress in a crisp silk dupion, to making this one in a slinky jersey!
The pattern is Simplicity 3503, view A.
I only made three alterations to this one, and they were all small adjustments to the fit.
First of all the skirt was taken up by about four inches from the length given on the pattern.
Second, the back was made narrower. I did this by reducing the width of the midriff band, and simply overlapping the back bodice pieces. This had the added bonus of raising the centre back, so it comes up higher than the bra strap.
The final alteration was to lengthen the front bodice by about an inch, to accommodate a larger bust. This makes ensures that the midriff panel doesn’t start half way up the bust – a very common fitting problem with any dress that has an underbust seam.
The combination of lengthening the front panels and narrowing the width of the back makes sure that a generous cleavage can be accommodated without the entire top of the dress becoming much too big. Because the neckline is very deep, there are ties across the back of the neck to stop the top from slipping off the shoulders.
I can’t wait to see this one being worn – it’s such a glamorous party dress!
Lovely dress !!!