This dress is made from the most beautiful silk/wool blend from Rick Rack Textiles in Calgary, Alberta. I found the fabric before I decided on the design, but I loved the way that it moved and felt so much that I knew that I needed a functional dress out of it so I could wear it all of the time. I chose this gorgeous 1951 Vintage Vogue pattern because I have made it a few times before (I made an Alice in Wonderland shirt dress out of this with pockets and slightly shorter sleeves and skirt length, then a cat shirt dress with the longer skirt and sleeves, and my wool window pane skirt that I made last year use the skirt portion of this pattern as well). Once I find a pattern that I love, I enjoy making multiple versions of it in different fabrics with some alterations in style lines so they all look different but I know that they will fit and feel great to wear.
For this version, I chose to make the skirt and the sleeves a bit longer, and I raised the waist seam by about a centimeter because I found in previous versions that the bodice was a bit long on me. Since this fabric frayed so easily, I chose to use French seams on this dress, so it has a beautiful finish on the inside as well as the outside.
Before I started making this dress I was actually already thinking about my future plans. I had just applied to Master's programs in Holocaust Studies when I found the fabric, and I knew that I would be moving away from my home town in September. I ended up deciding on a university in London, England, so I think this dress will be perfect to swan around England in:) The wool makes sure that the dress is warm and slightly water resistant, but the silk makes it a bit lighter so it isn't too warm indoors. I find the high neckline and longer skirt the most comfortable to wear everyday as well, so I know that I will be able to get a lot of use out of this dress. It also helps that the subtle burgundy threads in the fabric will make it match most of my shoes and sweaters!
Since I only have limited amount of baggage that I can take when I move, I have had to put a ton of thought into what pieces I want in my wardrobe (as you might be able to imagine, I have a pretty extensive clothing collection that is filled with sentimental clothes that I have made in the past, so this has been difficult). With the help of a colour-coordinated spreadsheet and 4 test packs (...so far), I have whittled down all of the items that I am bringing to 3 suitcases! I had not quite finished this dress when I started working on my packing list, but I had high hopes for it so it has held a spot on my list for months before I ever finished it. Thankfully I am very happy with the final product!
Right after I started working on this dress, a fashion collection by Ulyana Sergeenko came out that gave me tons of inspiration. Her Spring/Summer 2022 Ready to Wear collection was 1940s styled and they got incredible photos of the models in a field with a very dreamy look to it. I have always loved 1940s and early 1950s fashion because of how universally flattering they are while still be comfortable and easy to move in, so this collection gave me lots of ideas for how to wear this dress and what kinds of styles I might want to try out in the future.
Details:
Sewing Pattern: V9000 Vintage Vogue pattern reprint from 1951
Fabric: Wool/silk blend
Features: Wide pointed collar, dolmann sleeves, single front bust and waist darts and double back waist darts, 6 panel A-line skirt, front decorative shank button up closure with side zipper, French seam finish,
I made this pattern in a size 8 with minor alterations (mainly moving the waist seam up 1 cm, the rest of the measurements are as given by the pattern)
This Ulyana Sergeenko Collection (SS 22) ended up being a huge inspiration to me - I love the 1940s styles, and the photos are so stunning.
Thank you so much for reading and I hope your summer is going well!
~Katherine