Zoe Dress

I really wanted this dress to work.  Like really, really wanted it to.  But I think this is a case of trying to fit a square peg in to a round hole.  The style of this dress just does not suit me.  And I knew that before I made it.  I pushed on anyway.  I so desperately want to be able to wear sack dresses.  You know, dresses without a defined waist.  I know that is not everyone's cup of tea, but I love that easy, laid back, bohemian sort of vibe.  They look so cute on some.   I am realizing that I really need a waistline when it comes to dresses.  I can do a shapeless tunic, but not a dress.  I guess maybe it has to do with length.  Also, the armholes on this dress are not doing me any favors.  The back of the dress has dropped armholes and a slight racer back.  I seem to store nice little pouches of fat there under my arms (for winter ;) Not my favorite place to highlight.

  

This is the Zoe dress from Tina Givens.  I really enjoy her designs.  But again, not everyone's cup of tea.   I did have a few issues with this pattern.  Most of my issues were probably a result of fabric choice.  The pattern envelope stresses to use a lightweight woven, like voile.  I think most of Tina Given's designs are for natural fabrics, like linen, silk and voile.  I used a drape-y crepe de chine.  It's actually two different colors of the same print- black with ivory dots and ivory with black dots.  The drape works really well, but it is heavy.  Not only did I use a heavy crepe de chine, but I also lined the whole thing with a rayon batiste.  All the bodice pieces are underlined while the skirt has a free hanging lining.  I had to baste the underlining in by hand because of how slippery the fabric was.  It makes for a really nicely finished, but weighty dress.  The weight of the fabric pulled down on the bodice so much that I had to make some adjustments.  I sewed the back yoke/bodice seam in another half an inch to raise the armholes up and bit and then I chopped three (!) inches off the bodice.  To be fair, I believe the pattern is supposed to have a dropped waist.  But that is another design feature that does not work well for me.  I really love how the pattern has a 1920's sort of vibe.  It is totally different from anything I have ever sewn before.  I also turned the neck and armhole bindings to the inside, just out of personal preference.

I shortened the bodice so that the hip yoke piece sat around my actual hips.  When I put on the finished dress, I liked it from the front.  And then I turned to the side.  Humph.  Can't do sack dresses.  See my stank face above.

I was done at that point.  I wasn't sure how I was going to take in the waist seam, or if I even should.  I put the dress on a hanger for another day.  Later that weekend, I saw a solution on someone's top out in public.  It was all I could do not to stop her in Target and ask if I could examine the back of her shirt up close.  She was wearing a long tunic button up shirt.  But the back was cinched in with a button and a loop.  Have you ever seen that before?  I was inspired.  I came home and ripped out the waist seam of my Zoe dress and added a button and loop.  The difference is subtle from the front, but it makes a world of difference from the side.  And I could technically wear it unbuttoned if I decide I want a more shapeless look.  Still not sure how I feel about it, though.

The two photo collages below show the dress unbuttoned, and then buttoned.  It's not a huge difference.

Anyway, I'm on the fence.  Other than my issues with whether or not this dress is flattering, I really liked sewing it.  I love the piecing.   Everything fit together perfectly, except I did need to slightly gather the skirt to make it fit the hip yoke.  Just every so slightly.  For now, I'll wear it with a denim shirt tied around it.  Or a cardigan.  And maybe I'll figure out a  solution for the armholes later on.   Or maybe I'll just change my mind and decide I like it as is.  Definitely a pattern I want to revisit next summer in a voile like the pattern suggests.