Reach back in your mind...to a simpler time. To a time when people could dress up and laugh near each other, and dance the night away and have fun. Remember that? Just barely. Want to stroll down memory lane with me and take a look at my fancy dress from the summer of 2019? (But first, go get vaccinated.)
My husband (used to have) work parties once a year. This particular one was at a hotel and resort in French Lick, Indiana, which is famous for the West Baden hotel. In 2019, we stayed in French Lick for the whole weekend, which was the first time we've done two nights away from the kids. I laid by the pool, tried to order a mimosa (no champagne poolside at 11am, how rude) and of course, got all dressed up.
I still can't believe it, but both of these fabrics were from Jo-Ann's, and both were clearance or overstock or spot the bolt or something. It was truly meant to be, because the white is SILK shantung and the black is nylon (not polyester) lace! I've never seen silk in Jo-Ann's, before or since.
I wanted the fabrics to shine, so I picked a simple silhouette. The pattern is Vogue 8766, View D bodice with View F skirt. I muslined the bodice three times to perfect the fit. I ended up changing the angle of the shoulder seam, narrowing the shoulders, and removed a wedge from CF. All these changes were to remove areas that were gaping. Some sort of narrow shoulder adjustment is not an unusual change for me. I also removed 1" from the skirt hem to better accommodate the lace.
Originally, I wanted to use the selvage of the lace for the skirt hem to save myself the aggravation of hemming. Of course, that only works if your skirt is a square, which this one isn't. I ended up doing a rolled hem on my serger, using black thread, and it's been perfect.
I hand-picked the zipper and also finished the white skirt hem with hem tape. The lace pattern doesn't quite match up across the back, but I'm still proud of how invisible the zip is. And the lace matches on the front bodice, so that's what matters the most.
This dress is SO twirly and flattering and was worth every second of effort, even if I only got to wear it once. Twice, if you count these photos from last week!
Since I had the camera out and it was fitting for the dress, I also took pictures of my new shapewear. This pattern is from Rebecca Page, and is the only one like it I have found (and I've been looking). This was my first RP pattern and I was beyond impressed with the details. like a cutting checklist with photos of the fabric cut out, a one page quick sew cheat sheet, and seam allowances noted on EVERY pattern piece. The only thing I wish there had been were some notches on the crotch piece, because it's easy to get that backwards if you're not paying attention.
The high waist option was sky high, which is weird for me as I have a long torso. I used 2" elastic in the "waist" instead of 3/8" and that was how I reduced the torso length. Other than that, the fit was excellent. I used a heavy nylon/lycra that I got from LA Finch Fabrics (I *think* it's the same as this one).
A little backstory and sort of disclaimer...back in May, Rebecca Page had an application out for their Brand Ambassador program. I applied, and as a thank you to applicants they sent us a coupon code. I had saved the shapewear pattern forever ago and that was the push I needed to finally buy it. Well, a few weeks later I found out I had been selected as a Brand Ambassador! I officially started in August but my first BA project probably won't be out until September.
ANYWAY I can't wait to wear this dress again. I'm not sure if that will ever happen, but it's certainly going to stay in my closet and be a wonderful reminder of that magical weekend, long ago in 2019.
*This post contains affiliate links. I purchased both patterns mentioned in this post. All opinions are my own.