This past winter, we were the fortunate recipients of a plethora of vintage items from the estate of a distant relative. While several were vintage dresses, suits, and skirts that remarkably fit me (!!), there were also quite a few vintage fabrics! This length of cotton seemed perfect for a simple summer dress and I tried to take cues from all the real-vintage dresses I've seen lately and keep it super simple.
I tend to over-think everything, so it really was a stretch to keep this bare-bones! I think I succeeded pretty well, and I'm certainly happy with the result.
Since this was such a basic dress, I was glad that it had stripes to play around with! Making sure all the pattern pieces would fit on my yardage with matched stripes added a nice challenge and then I got to play around with the tiny scraps to come up with a pocket detail.
The fabric is a lightweight, finely woven cotton with stripes of alternating light blue and violet woven in. It's not a color combination I'm naturally drawn to, so it was fun to break outside my usual. ;-)
I ended up having the perfect number of buttons in the correct color already in my stash, so this dress was essentially free- hooray!
This project was a fun exercise in fabric conservation- I started out with a limited amount of fabric and since it's vintage- of course it's narrow. ;-P It limited my options for pattern style, but ended up being the perfect excuse for another use for my beloved Butterick 5920, my previous version is here. As before, I extended the shoulders of the sleeveless version into kimono sleeves.
We picked up quite a few vintage scarves at estate sales last year and I was pleased that this hand painted scarf was just the right shade of blue! Since this is my first summer with short hair, I have been relying on scarves as my back-up in case of emergency. You know- Curl-crippling humidity. Late nights/early mornings that leave not *quite* enough time for a sturdy curl. Etc.
The dress has lots of shoulder and neck coverage, which- Hooray! means less sunscreen. ;-)
· Photos by Kathryn! ·
Posts
This is just the style of summer dress that I like!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I love the neck line on that one.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful dress! I love how you changed the sleeves and those stripes(and the pockets) look fabulous! What a lovely fabric. This has really inspired me to get this pattern out of my stash and give it a go.
ReplyDeleteI love this dress so much! It looks so light & airy perfect for hot summer days. Great for outdoor vintage sales & things like that. 😉 I didn't realize that scarf was hand painted - how neat! That aqua is my favorite color. I've never really paired it with lavender. Love it!
ReplyDeleteYour work is always so amazing. I love your attention to detail which turns even a "bare bones" dress into a work of art! So gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteLovely!! I really like the neckline on this and your stripe matching is on point! Looks like a cool and comfortable dress.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great dress! I love dresses that seem like they could be vintage baseball uniforms, or inspired by them. :P I want to go dig in my stash and see if I can replicate this!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I love love love your neckline treatments. Your dresses never look boring!
- Tegan
You are ready for a boat to whisk you from that dock. Perfect, as always.
ReplyDeleteLove your dress! Katherine takes such great photos--they evoke such a sweet, peacefull mood!
ReplyDeleteI'm swooning over this dress- the neckline detail, the stripe matching, the chevrons, the way you placed the darts to work so well with the stripes, it's stunning!
ReplyDeleteOh, I love the cornflower blue and lilac stripe in this dress! It really is a perfect summer frock, and the pattern you made it up in is just right for showing off those gorgeous strips. The pocket detailing is too cute ~ you always inspire me with your beautiful makes Lily. ❤
ReplyDeletexox,
bonita of Lavender & Twill
Another wonderful version of this dress! Your first rendition inspired me to make my own and now I think I might need a striped one too. The kimono sleeves are a great addition, especially as I find the original sleeves a bit restrictive. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a beautiful dress Lily! It looks positively perfect to wear in the Summer heat.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Brigid
I love everything about this outfit! I love stripes, especially when they go in a chevron pattern.
ReplyDeletexoxo
-Janey
Simple styles can be some of the hardest to execute well in my opinion. To have enough interest in design and fabric without being over the top and loosing all simplicity.
ReplyDeleteSarah
www.sewcharacteristicallyyou.com/blog
Simply lovely!
ReplyDeleteBest,
Quinn
Just gorgeous, Lily!! It looks so comfortable, cool, and is just your style. :) Beautiful job!
ReplyDeleteLovely and elegant summer style. I love stripes, and this dress really uses them to advantage. And headscarves are a hair-saver!
ReplyDeleteThe Artyologist
Adorable! I must try your kimono sleeve trick!
ReplyDeleteSo completely pretty - that neckline is just magnificent!
ReplyDeletexoxo ♥ Jessica