I love the styling of this Giles dress, even though the fit seems bizarrely lazy. (Isn't it funny how insane we drive ourselves getting every wrinkle out... and then you see runway or fashion shoots fitting that can only be described as 'sloppy'). When I saw this dress I stashed it away on my harddrive, and thought I'd give it a go for spring '11. I think it's the kind of dress a 50's film star would wear on a Sunday, running the kids around town in the Studebaker. I love how you can undo the buttons for a bit of sauciness (I'll lose the muslin's back zip on the 'real thing.'
I used the yellow version of Butterwick 5032, sliced it down the middle front and added button bands. It seems to work. the box pleats aren't doing me any favors, and I may stitch them down. The back is here to showcase my bizarrely sloping shoulders, I"m not an insane swimmer, was simply born that way. It makes fitting clothes incredibly hard. The muslin is made out a gross old puce bedsheet, it smells nasty, and I'm blaming the horrific color for the fact this dress does 'nothing for me.' I"m holding out hope that in a decent fabric this one will kick it. I'll also try taking in the width of the skirt from the hips down and shortening the bodice a tad (the lazy way, but taking in more at the waist seam.) I'll also lower the armholes a little. I've found that with my bonkers shoulders it's temping to take away fabric all over the bodice in pursuit of fit, but I can go too far and end up with something painfully constricting.
More on: 4-sisters.blogspot.com
