This dress - I want to replicate. It is *lovely*.
I was looking at the dress, trying to figure out how it was constructed. First thought - there is a waist seam, and the top is just a simple top cut on the bias, and the skirt is an asymmetric wrap-around skirt.
Then I looked closer - see how the lines in the top and the skirt line up? In bias? With gathering at the waist? Is this even possible, or is the dress more complicated - with no waist seam?
I tried looking at another dress from the collection to see if I could derive any clues...
And I noticed this. The wrap skirt - in a print - look at the impeccable pattern matching in the asymmetric skirt.
This is amazing work. I'm sure the price tag on this dress will be astronomical, but this is a level of detail that might just once make the price tag almost worthwhile. (Ok, not really, but I sew, and notice these details, and am profoundly impressed.)
Readers - thoughts? How do you think this is constructed? Help!
5 comments:
I don't know how they did it, but I like both of the dresses, especially the asymetry of the skirts.
There is definitely a waist seam in the first dress (and I'd guess also in the second). The skirt could not be gathered otherwise. The illusion of matching is the result of careful cutting with reference (I think) to the black line in the stripe. The designer may have done some fancy math to ensure that the gathering was in the right density to keep the strip moving down at roughly the same angle as in the bodice, but it's not 100% precise.
The question where the seam is in the skirt is more interesting. I'd like to see a back or side view. My guess is that the corner at the hem may lead to an on-grain seam that spirals around the back. The bias may be offset by one pattern repeat to ensure the illusion of no break in the pattern.
Wow, I have no idea how they did that! But I agree with you that now that I sew, when I see a garment that has really great construction or details, I just ooh and ahh over it.
The skirt shape would be easy to replicate. You could cut a long rectangle, join the short ends offsetting them by the desired amount which would produce the asymmetrical hem. I think it would then be just a matter of draping the skirt around yourself to determine where to cut off the excess length at the waist. This line would be at a 45 degree angle to the straight grain/original joining seam.
If you would like a little diagram/sketch to help explain what I mean, don't hesitate to email me.
Good luck with this style - I would love to see it made up.
this sort of pattern matching looks like it would induce tears and cries of frustration! but you did a good job on the plaid in your previous post, so maybe you're on a roll and will do a wonderful job?
Post a Comment