Feb 18, 2013

Finished Object! LBD? No! LND!

How good are you at colors? I thought for sure this easy dress I made using a lovely ponte knit given to me by my virtual friend Gingermakes was black:


But then I wore when I met her in person (even though it was a Saturday afternoon and I had no good reason to dress up other than to prove I made something with the fabric she gifted me). She (and everyone else at hand) thought it was actually navy:


Which is great, because I have navy pumps. All dressed up like this, my daughter said I looked "as pretty as a Gangnam Style girl," whatever that means:   

(So of course I did the Gangnam Style dance)

I used McCall's 6319 to sew this dress. I didn't line it (the pattern calls for lining in tricot, which I couldn't pick out in a lineup nor pronounce properly, so I opted instead to wear a slip if need be):


I really love the pleated, drapey details at the shoulder and the waist. I think this would be a great dress to wear to a wedding, belted with something fancy. You would look put together but when it comes time to dance, watch out!


The exposed shoulder zip is another great detail. But it's not like you need it to get this thing on. It has alot of stretch. My only quibble is the armscye dips a little low. I don't mind (because I know will get sweaty in ponte knit and need the ventilation), but depending on your undergarments, it may be a problem for some wearers. I also think when I make this again (closer to Spring; it's freaking cold today in NYC!), I will turn the skirt into a slight A-line. I have wide hips, and I don't like when skirts pull at the hip because then they start to head north as I walk: bad news!


Classy. Simple. And in navy (instead of black): unexpected?

18 comments:

  1. Lovely! The zip is a nice detail. Looks navy in the pics but monitors can be so misleading.

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  2. It appears to be navy or a deep navy-black to me as well and it looks like you're standing in front of a north facing window, which is good because it has the type of light that artists prefer because colors read true. Whenever I'm not sure of a color in a fabric I take it over to the north facing windows of our house to get an accurate take on the color.

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    1. That's a good tip! And good eye, Phyllis: The window faces northeast.

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  3. Love that shoulder zip...adds just enough sass! Gorgeous dress! And I totally would have called this black too...

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  4. There's a certain shade of navy where I just can't tell if it's navy or black. I have a pair of pants the same color. Nice thing is you can wear it as either. I love this pattern. It's not one I noticed before but I could definitely see this as a great dress to wear to a wedding. And how do you pronounce tricot? I've always pronounced it just how it looks ("try-cot"-- like a redneck) but my mom just recently told me she thinks it's pronounced "tree-koh."

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    1. My instinct is to say "tree-koh," but I'm from Canada, where French pronunciations are commonplace. In America, I would think it's "try-cot," like you say.

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    2. Also, I would add: this dress would be a great post-baby dress. With an elastic waistband it would be easy to wear over the postpartum bulge, and if you put a zip at both shoulders (instead of just one, which the pattern dictates) you could even unzip to nurse!

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    3. As a very new sewist a few years ago, someone in the Garment District (embarrassingly) corrected my pronunciation. It's tree-koh. ;-)

      But I would just line in another knit. (Stupid tricot.)

      It's such a fun dress! perfect to dress up or down!

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  5. black or navy, this is a great dress! i've just ordered some black knit which will hopefully be a LBD (provided it has the right weight/drape--fingers crossed!). i love the zip detail on this one, super cute!

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  6. looks great. i used to have this pattern and then gave up that I would ever actually make it. now that i see yours i wish i had held onto it.

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    1. I think it's out of print now, but it's probably not all that hard to find.

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  7. I mess up dark navy vs black all the time. Love the dress and especially the zipper detail... looks amazing.

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  8. Looks great :) the cip is a cute detail.
    looks like a good maternity style too? if you elastice the waist?

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  9. Ooh very nice. I bet this is so comfy...comfy and sexeh, what more could you ask for?

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  10. Fierce! That exposed zip is sassy mcsassyton and the pleats look super rad in the ponti! Epic navy/black dress indeed!

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  11. Love this style on you! The pleats make a very interesting design feature, and the dress looks so comfy to move around in =)

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  12. Very very chic! I love the comfort factor.

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  13. nice job lady! this pattern has been in my ufo stash for ages. i, too, decided against lining it. i'll just wear a slip, you know, if i ever get around to finishing it. but i love your version! navy is great!!

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