The Fall

In general I am always thinking about a dress. There is always a dress in my head, fighting to get out. I often see dresses, on catwalks, in shops, brand new and vintage and I think, surely I could make that. Then sometimes I find a pattern and attempt to alter it until it resembles what I see in my mind. The finished result is rarely the same as the picture in my head, but I like to think this is a learning process and eventually I will create something that is an accurate representation of my initial idea. I'm not sure why it is generally a dress rather than some other item of clothing, like a top or skirt, I think it's because a dress is a total look, with instant impact. Today's post is about one such dress. It was inspired by the Autumn collection from dear creatures, which I have seen posted on many blogs already, so forgive me for posting the images from their charming lookbook once more.

I initially thought I was trying to create a version of the dress on the right, which I absolutely love, the mustard colour, the checks, the black bow? Perfect. However having seen the finished result, it looks like I was subconsciously thinking of the dress on the left. Judge for yourselves.

I used a pattern for this dress but then changed it. The body is made of a black sateen cotton and the little capelet is made of an autumnal ikea fabric which was something silly like £1.99 per metre. The thing I really liked about the dear creatures dress was the black piping as a contrast to the mustard on the bodice. Instead of piping I used black bias binding around the edges. Below are some close-ups of the back of the dress and fabric. I added the keyhole back, just beacuse I like keyhole backs, although it turned out to be uneccessay since I can get the dress on without undoing the closure, the pattern was oddly large for a size 8. Still I like the grey faux-leather button. I am pleased with the finished result, although it's a bit big, and more 1950s then I expected, it still makes me think of autumn, bonfires, and fallen leaves.