Mar 20, 2014

Closer Look at Anouk

As a Canadian, I've got a lot of pride that some of the best indie pattern companies out there right now are from my Home and Native Land (proud, but not like,  jumping around with red and white body paint or anything —  that is not how we roll in Canada).

There's Sewaholic in Vancouver, Thread Theory in Victoria, B.C. (where I lived for five years while I went to university...yes, I took five years to do a bachelor's degree; if you lived in Victoria, you wouldn't want to leave either. It's the most beautiful little city in the country), and Toronto-based Victory Patterns

What I love about Victory Patterns in particular are a few things:

1) Many of designer Kristiann Boos' patterns feature a couple variations — which can be uncommon in the indie pattern world. (Having two different hemlines does not a variation make in my opinion, ahem). So when you have the option of adding sleeves or a different collar for example, you have more room to play when it comes to sewing several versions of one of her patterns.
 
2) Her designs are distinctive: in her current collection of 10 available patterns you would have a hard time finding similar options elsewhere. She's not just turning out yet another pencil skirt or peter pan collared T-shirt. The Anouk, for one, is unique with its pieced placket, yoke, pintucks and cleavage opening (I know that's not the technical term, but c'mon: it's like, sneakily sexy):

  
3) And finally, what I love about Victory Patterns' designs is that they all seem to have been created with fabric fiends in mind: the majority feature many pieces and unique design details, giving the maker room to create something unique by blending fabrics, prints and textures. Or, of course, you could keep it simple and let the design details stand out on their own. 

Now, for a closer look at Anouk, which I first made as a sleeveless dress, using yellow ponte (gifted to me by the lovely blog reader Nurse Bennett), some scraps of white stretch denim and the remaining Marimekko printed cotton from my Mommy Poppins bag


It's very sweet and flattering as a dress. I love those bodice details. Each Anouk is like a snowflake....totally unique and beautiful:

Recently I attempted to make the other version of Anouk — the beltless tunic with sleeves. However, my deltoids proved to be too much for the sleeve cap and I had to rip them off, resulting in yet another sleeveless version. If I were to attempt it again, I would grade to a couple sizes up for the armscye and sleeve. Without the belt, I think the tunic version is a little maternity style, but it's still cute: 


I happened to have blue and white striped cotton to match my chambray, so I made my placket in a similar fashion to the Victory Patterns sample version.


And I'm on a covered button kick right now, so I matched my placket. COVERED BUTTONS ON EVERYTHING ALWAYS AND FOREVER:



 Have you made an Anouk? Share links in the comments below. I'd love to see more versions of this great pattern.

13 comments:

  1. I love both! I always wanted to make it, especially since I saw your yellow one, since it kicked away the worry of the maternity-look issue. The tunic one does have that problem, but I think it could easily be fixed by taking away the gathers down under the front placket. You could probably still do it and just have a center front seam?

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    1. Smart idea. You could totally do that. Nice thinking!

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  2. love them. i am so happy to see you blogging again! sorry i missed you on saturday at mood.

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    1. Me too! We've never met in real life, which seems like a major oversight...

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  3. You know, you bring up a lot of good points about Victory Patterns. They don't get as much love as a lot of the other indies, but the patterns are definitely some of the sexiest (and I mean, godalmight there are only so many little-girl pleated skirts and Peter Pan collars a grown-ass woman can take, you know?) You've encouraged me to give them a try, as I haven't before!

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    1. Yay! They've got some really inspiring pieces. I can't wait to see what you would choose.

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  4. i haven't sewn any victory patterns yet, but i do intend to! like you, i am impressed by the more unique (while still being wearable) designs offered. i really like your Anouks, but the yellow one is just gorgeous! love the mix of fabrics.

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    1. Yes, definitely wearable. the Anouk is a great one because it doesn't need much accesorizing...all the details make it busy enough.

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  5. Delighted to see you're back ! The Anouk dress looks like such an easy to wear dress :)

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    1. Totally, built-in belt and everything, so you don't have to think hard about what to wear with it in terms of accessories.

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  6. Love your creative mix of patterns/texture! Love seeing you blogging even more! That yellow looks perfect for spring. :)

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    1. Thank YOU for the yellow ponte! It's so wearable and soft.

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  7. These all look great! I love Victory Patterns. Kristiann's designs are so fun and unique. I've only made a few of her patterns as the more tunic-y designs aren't so hot on someone as flat as me, but I really like her aesthetic.

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