Vintage Vogue

I think this is going to be my entry to the Vintage Vogue competition. I’m not 100% certain whether it’s finished, or whether the seams go on the inside or the outside. I’m going to wear it and live with it for a bit before I decide. I also need to take lots of photos, which I’ll send off for the competition.

I realise that this doesn’t look like a terribly spectacular dress, especially not for entering a competition. But what I wanted to do was to keep the 1940s detailing (the gathering and the curving seams on the front), but translate them into a dress that would be comfortable and wearable and modern. I also wanted to break a few rules.

The pattern envelope says that the design isn’t suitable for stretch fabrics, or stripes. So that decision was easily made! Stripey viscose jersey. I eliminated all the fastenings and facings, drafted out the darts, and chopped off a rather drastic twelve inches from the hem. The stripes are matched at the centre back and side seams, but they can’t be matched on the front (which is why the design’s considered not suitable for stripes). I decided that putting the seams on the outside would draw attention to the structure of the dress, and also make it less noticeable that the stripes don’t match up. But then I turned the dress “inside out”, so the seams are on the inside, and I rather liked it. I think I’d be happy to wear it either way around, so I’m calling it reversible.

I feel as though it looks a bit boring, now it’s done. I don’t think it says “competition winner”, anyway. But hey. I’ve got a nice new dress, and I think it’ll be lovely for work if I wear it over a pair of black trousers. There’s still a month or so before the competition ends. That should give me time to decide whether I’m going to enter this dress, or maybe make something else.