DIY Red Bombshell Dress

I did one of those things I've been wanting to do for a long time.

I bought a dress (online! On sale! cheap! polyester!) and tried my hand at copying it and making my own version.
I loved the drape of the neckline, and the classic silhouette. It is such a sassy dress, and I upped the drama by making it in red. As you do.

Fabric

I purchased a lolly-red, cotton sateen from GJ's Discount Fabrics.
The original purchased dress (black) had the look and subtle stretch of a cotton sateen and I wanted to mimic the fabric as close as possible to achieve the same fit.

Details

The bodice is fully faced (lined) with the same fabric. The bodice front is actually one big mirrored piece that folds over itself at the neckline.

I cut the bodice on the bias, and added spaghetti straps at the shoulders.
The bodice is shaped with two big pleats on either side of the bust which creates the cowl shape.

The skirt finishes just below the knee with a thigh high split.

The original dress by Chancery in blue. Image from www.theiconic.com.au

Final Thoughts

I love how this turned out, and I'm shocked how straight forward it was!
Makes me look differently at some of my old favourites in my closet that are on their last legs. You could trace them or pull them apart to make pattern pieces and reincarnate something you love.

DIY Copy Cat - BALMAIN Sequinned JACKET and Faux Wrap SKIRT

I don't know when, I don't know how, but somehow I've become obsessed with making jackets. And what could bring home that realisation more, than a SEQUINNED jacket. I ask you.

Introducing my latest make, a Balmain inspired, Versace buttoned sequinned blazer dress:

The Pattern

JACKET:

To make this look I used Burda 6380, View B in a size 12.

This double-breasted vest pattern comes in two length variations, with the option to add a welt pocket and contrasting lapel.

This pattern doesn't come with sleeves, so I used the sleeve pattern from Burda 6845, which I recently used to make my long suit style winter coat.

The sleeve pattern pieces paired perfectly and had matching notches and markings.

SKIRT:

Self drafted, with a waistband, faux button closure and pocket flaps.

The Fabric

JACKET:

I found a beautiful sequinned fabric from an Etsy store called Lots of Fabrics . This is the second time I have purchased from this store and the quality is excellent.
The fabric has a slight stretch to it and the sequins are all sewn on, rather than glued.

I using a black sateen on the lapel for a contrast, and lined the jacket in a black poly satin.

SKIRT:

A beautiful, soft Japanese cotton sateen from Tessuti Fabrics.

Copy Cat Challenge

Together with the talented superstar Faith and wedding dress extraordinaire Kelly , we decided to do a celebrity copy cat look.

For this inspiration we decided to choose one of our favourite Olivia Palermo looks. Olivia has a great personal style, so choosing one was hard!

I decided on her Balmain jacket and skirt that she wore in January 2019 to the Balmain Haute Couture show in Paris during Haute Couture Fashion Week.

You can see the full look in my instagram post below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Julia Bobbin (@juliabobbin) on Jul 12, 2019 at 6:08pm PDT

The Details + Changes

THE JACKET:

I love THIN LAPELS on this pattern, which I made in a cotton sateen to contrast, as I thought the doubled up sequin lapel could end up looking lumpy, and would likely get lost.

I also eliminated the WELT for the same reasons.

I added SLEEVES from Burda 6845 and fitted the sleeve heads with SHOULDER PADS

To avoid drag lines around my hips and butt, I added a SEPARATING ZIPPER to close the jacket.

I was nervous about adding buttonholes on a sequinned fabric (could get messy real quick) but more importantly, the zipper balanced the stress of a fitted skirt evenly over my curvy lower body, where buttons would have gaped and caused drag lines.

The black zipper blends with the sequins, and it makes wearing the blazer as a dress more comfortable. The buttons were then sewn on top, with a SNAP BUTTON added just underneath the top closing button to hold in place.

I also REMOVED THE BACK WALKING VENT as I planned to wear this as a blazer dress.

THE SKIRT:

I made a MOCK WRAP at the front to mimic the original Balmain skirt, which I held in place with vintage versace buttons.
The skirt is closed with an INVISIBLE ZIPPER down the centre back seam.

I added POCKET FLAPS on the skirt front and lined them with a contrasting silk fabric.

Notions + Tools

NOTIONS:

6 x 22mm Versace Medusa Head Buttons in matte gold and matte silver from Vintage Buttons N Beads
1 x Separating zipper
1 x Invisible zipper (skirt)
1 x Snap button
1 pair of shoulder pads

TOOLS:

Janome DC2101
Walking Foot/Even Feed Foot
Stretch Needle
Clapper

Final Thoughts

Well that was fun!
I'm a sucker for all things shiny and fancy, and this outfit ticked all those boxes!
The original Balmain jacket retailed for $4500USD and the skirt for $785USD. Just another reminder of how wonderful it is to be able to sew your own clothes!

I'm also pleased to report that I have already worn this outfit out and it was an instant mood booster. I love how a good outfit can do that!

Thanks to Faith and Kelly for a fun challenge!

The Hay Fever Dress - Project Sewn Week 3

Thanks a gah-zillion to everyone who voted for me last week on Project Sewn. I made it through to the next round!! Wah-to the-hoo!

For Week 3 the theme is 'Graphic Print' and here's my bright florally entry. Makes my nose itchy just looking at it! It's Spring in Australia and that means hay fever time. Goodbye jumpers and cardigans, hello tissues.

Once again, check out the fabulous entries and VOTE for your favourite!

I learnt something about myself with this challenge. I realised that even though I love prints and they are well represented in my gigantic fabric stash(es), I rarely actually sew with a print! Turns out when I go into a fabric store without a project in mind I buy up on prints, but when I go in with a pattern or a design in my head first, I lean towards solid colours. Curious-er and curious-er.

In fact, three quarters of my garments in my past projects are with solid colours. I need an intervention.

I loved this challenge for breaking me out of my design cycle and letting the design be inspired by the fabric first.

So here's the nitty gritty:

Pattern

I used the bodice of Vogue 8280 for this dress with some heavy modifications. You can check my original review of this pattern here to see the changes I made.

I drafted my own skirt and sleeves.

Fabric and Construction

For the shell of the dress I used a beautiful cotton sateen that I bought on sale from Spotlight for $4 a metre. This.never.happens.to.me. Cue high-five-ing strangers.

The dress is fully lined, and closed with an invisible zipper down the centre back.

The feature of this dress is a row of pleats along the hem of the skirt and the sleeves.

This took foooorreeeevvvveeerrrrr! Each pleat was individually sewn down and took a total of 4 metres of fabric and four hours to complete. I love the effect though so it was worth it.

I cut the pleats on the straight grain to make them more rigid and less stretchy. This gives the pleats a nice little kick out at the edges which I love.

I love the heart shape of the bodice and the galaxy dress shape of the shoulders. It just feels so freaking feminine!

Styling

Flower crown from Sportsgirl
Red leather bow belt from JigSaw
Patchuli Floc shoes from Melissa Shoes
Chanel lipstick #98 - This is my new absolute favourite red. Not too dark, not too bright, not too shiny, not too matt. Just perfection!

Special Mentions

Today, the 15th of October is mine and my husbands second wedding anniversary and the first with our baby boy. Don't want to gross you guys out too much but I really love this guy. More than sewing. And fabric. That's a lot.

Don't forget to check out the other entries and VOTE for your favourite! Voting closes Thursday at 8pm MDT.

Thanks again for all your support! :))