I’ve just finished making this dress… it’s rather gorgeous, isn’t it?
Just before going away, I was contacted by the lovely Sophie, who asked me if I’d like to make something from the autumn issue of the Fibre Mood magazine… would I?!! Fibre Mood is a newish Belgian sewing magazine, with a nice variety of designs suitable for different sewing skills, some quite simple, and some more funky and cool with interesting details. I chose the Faye dress – I have to admit partially influenced by the totally divine sample! printed it out before going away, but got no further until the day I got home again …
and literally as soon as I got home, like the very same day… I got onto it and finished it. Again, maybe influenced by the sample; I dug out from my stash this silk crepe in just about exactly the same colour. Copycat? Moi? Well, I may have also been influenced by the fact that it was literally the only piece in my stash large enough for the pattern layout too! I’d originally bought it from Tessuti’s in Melbourne, during one of my girls’ weekends over there with my Mum and Cassie.
It’s so autumnal!! I’m incredibly into autumnal tones right now, I think probably influenced by all the beautiful fall foliage images we’re getting from the northern hemisphere right now, but also of course because I am an “autumn” myself. I do think these tones suit me pretty well 🙂
“pockets!!”… in a hoarse drug-dealer-on-the-street-corner voice…
The design is slightly 80’s, in a really good way in my opinion! reminding me of the comfortably loose-fitting midi shirt-dresses with gorgeous wide and swishy pleated skirts from ralph lauren 80’s collections… the Faye design IS a true shirt dress too actually; with a long concealed button band, and with both the bodice and skirt pleated into the waistline. And, of course, and at the risk of sounding fanatical; HUGE pockets in the side seams, above 🙂
The bodice has what look like pocket flaps on the front, but which are actually faux flaps, and are more of a design feature. The back bodice has a matching horizontal seam, and a rather cute hanging loop as a purely visual feature. I love small interesting details like this!
well, hello gorgeous! Sophie likes the dress too… 🙂
I didn’t have matching golden buttons in my stash, and am trying to use my stash rather than always buying new – holiday souvenir shopping notwithstanding!! – so I dug out some black buttons from my stash. It may sound counterproductive to stitch very visible buttons underneath a button band constructed specifically to conceal them! however I actually like this look of them peeping out a a lot.
The sleeves are stitched with a very wide hem, which is then turned up to for a self-cuff. I really love the almost “safari” shirt vibes of the bodice. This photo also shows the nice pleats in the bodice and skirt fronts.
The only part of the design I found a little too scantily explained was the hemline… there were basically no instructions as to how to finish the hemline with that concealed button band as well as the button band itself either. I know from past experience this is something you do have to address a lot earlier than the very last step! this sort of thing requires stitching the corners right sides together and turning out, and at least a little bit of hand-stitching things down. The instructions for Faye pretty much leave all of that entirely up to you. I also decided to hand stitch the concealed button band pieces together at the lower edge too, to make it all look a bit neater and seamlessly finished off.
Also, in my opinion, the nature of the button/buttonhole band construction makes for a very thick area at the front of the waistline… because the button band and concealed buttonhole band are cut-on with the bodice and skirt, and then seamed together at the waistline… when you create all those multiples folds that are inherent in a button band, not to mention that of the concealed buttonhole band, well let’s just say there’s a heck of a lot of layers in there. If I was going to make this again, I would probably cut the button/buttonhole bands separately and in one long piece, no waistline seam, and attach them to the centre front edges of bodice and skirt after they’re joined together. The way it’s done in Faye is not actually terribly terrible, because this is the kind of dress you wear a belt with it, and a belt hides the waistline anyway; however I think this approach would make for a less bulky and cleaner waistline.
The hem, I made as a super skinny rolled hem, finished with tiny fell-stitches. My crepe is the kind of fabric that when you press your very narrow finished hem, thus flattening it out from 3D to 2D, it morphs out to a much wider hem, seemingly by magic.
Summary; I love my autumnal new dress! and may even dare to wear it as a spring-time dress… I think it will work equally well!
Details:
dress; Fibre Mood “Faye” dress in a golden silk crepe from Tessuti’s in Melbourne
Tights; self-drafted using my own custom fit pattern and black polyester stretch from Spotlight
Belt; super old one from Country Road
Boots; Officine Creative from Zomp boutique, a birthday gift from Craig
the swish is amaaaazing! I’m so into the swish right now!
This dress is utterly gorgeous – the pattern and the fabric you chose. I have been inspired to add this to my (ever growing) queue!
I can’t get over how deliciously swishy it is! It looks smart but also really comfy. I appreciate your thoughts on the bulk at the waist; those are the kind of details that, when sewing, leave me wondering “Is it supposed to be like this? Surely there’s a better way.” Thanks for sharing the better way!
It is so beautiful. I love the color and style
Absolutely beautiful. It looks very sophisticated.
It’s just stunning. I bet it will become a fave!
that fabric is so perfect for this dress and it looks fantastic. and yes it’s so similar to those 80’s dresses 🙂
I just love the dress and the color and beautiful drape.
Spot on! Drape, color, everything! WIth those cool booties and black belt – an edgy black necklace could work, too – perfect on you.
Just when I think every bodice design mathematically possible has been invented, along comes this simple yet original design. Clever. I get the Ralph Lauren comparison. I had an almost identical shirtwaist dress of his, minus the safari flaps, plus a collar. For tall women his 1980s flared, pleated dresses and feminine jackets were great. Perry Ellis comes to mind, too.
I like the idea you had for a single button placket. Details are everything in a minimalist design like this. I hope the pattern company adds an instructional update to upgrade the hem/button finishing. When the finishes of a sewing project don’t work, on such expensive fabric no less, it can really put home sewists off sewing. I imagine the pattern company would want to support and teach hobbyists to achieve great results. Part of the pleasure of sewing is to achieve superior fit and finishes.
This pattern might also work really well as a kimono sleeve (sleeveless) version in some kind of crinkly drapey viscose that could be laundered.
Keep on knocking our socks off. Heh.
Love the dress. Have never gotten tired of the shirt waist style. Wish my life style leaned more toward wearing something like this more often. Well, maybe not. Can’t give up my jeans entirely. Never get tired of a good twirl situation. So, go swish and twirl for me!!
Gorgeous! I’m definitely not an autumn but I love the colours and this is a particularly beautiful gold. It is slightly 80s, and no bad thing for that, it’s got style that you rarely see these days. And pockets – thankfully clothing designers and manufacturers have realised that they’re essential – you’ve been banging on about them for years now, the rest of the world has finally caught up.
What a great job – no matter how hard I try, I can never get things to look so professional and it’s a pleasure seeing how right you do everything. Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful! And pockets!
The color!
MY HEART! I was just thinking of buying this pattern for a Christmas dress! It’s so lovely, but the fabric requirements were scaring me a bit – do you think it would be possible to cut it from 4 yards of a narrower fabric or do you really need the full 150 cm width?
Yours is extremely beautiful!!
thank you so much! I made a 38 and the width of the skirt front, the widest piece, is about 109cm; so you could cut this from a 115cm width of fabric if that’s what you have. however you would most probably need more fabric than for the 150cm width specified in the chart. It uses a lot!
Thanks so much! I have since actually made this (<3, by the way) and I ended using 5 yards of 115 cm fabric (sorry for the mixed measurements – 4.5 meters or so!). Thanks for your help! 🙂