Monday, August 1, 2011

Modern Flapper Dress

My husband, Rhett and I recently celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary.  It's kind of crazy we've been married that long.  It seems like not long ago I was falling in love with him and doing really embarrassing things when he was around.
We don't really celebrate each other's birthdays, and don't even do much for Mother's/ Father's Day, but anniversaries are big for us.  This year we spent two nights in Las Vegas.  My mom only lives 2 hours away and was willing to watch the kids for us.  I knew it would be super hot, so I wanted a breezy, light dress for our trip.

So I made this quick dress that reminded me of the Roaring 20s flapper dresses, which always reminds me of the book The Great Gatsby.
The dress is made with a light-weight fabric that is almost chiffon, which required me to line the top so it wasn't sheer.
 For the top of the dress I used Vogue Pattern for the Square Neck Drape Blouse that I made a few months ago.  The pattern is designed for knit fabric, so it turned out interesting making it with no stretch.  
{you can see the neckline here....we were eating at Maggiano's and found out later from Rhett's sister we totally missed out by not ordering cheesecake}


Rhett and I don't drink alcohol, gamble, or go to night clubs.  So why did we go to Vegas?  Well it's the nearest larger city near the babysitting Grandma, and this trip was about having time together, the food, and sleep.  I was so excited to have an uninterrupted night's sleep since we've had the baby.   We slept in until noon and it was awesome.

So we're probably pretty lame, as far as enjoying Vegas' night life, but my favorite thing is watching The Bellagio's water fountains.  I could watch them all night.  I was so thrilled when we got to see this  particular song.  A friend of mine said maybe I love them so much because it's like ballet fountains.  Maybe.

So back to the dress. 
It's one piece that goes over the head.  Basically a big sack, but I sewed a few rows of shirring with the elastic thread on the waist to give it a little shape.

The skirt was just two rectangles gathered at the dropped waist.


I'm still deciding how I feel about the dress.  I finished it at 2 am the night before we left, and it all seemed so great--another quick hack job that turned out awesome.
 Then when I actually wore it, I wasn't so sure.  The drape seemed kind of larger and more dramatic than it should be.  The waist didn't stay low on my hips like I hoped.  It was really great for the 100 degree weather-- breezy fabric, and loose fitting.

So still don't know how I feel about this one....good thing the fabric was less than $5.00 

9 comments:

  1. Hi, Jessica ~ First, let me say that I love your dress! Love the shirring at the waist, and I don't think it mattered whether it was sitting high or low ~ it's still adorable. Our daughter just got married in Vegas in April, so your pic at Maggiano's brought back some good memories ~ and, like you, "Time to Say Goodbye" is my absolute favorite Bellagio Fountains song (chills!). Thanks for a memorable post!

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  2. I think your dress is super cute. Wear it with pride!

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  3. The design of your dress is way cute. I have a really hard time picking fabric out that really works for a patter too. I have attempted a few dress patterns that turned out awful because of my fabric choice. There are just so many different types of "cotton" or "silk" out there. plus I dont think JoAnns has the best fabric selection. I wish we had one of those fabric outlet store where you can buy fabric by the pound! that would be awesome!

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  4. well I like it! It looks so comfy and breezy...and the fabric is cute too!

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  5. Are you kidding??! You look AMAZING. I love the dress - just wish I had the skills to make one! I'd totally buy one from you (hint hint!!) I still want one of those lovely skirts too.
    I spent a week in Vegas, no drinking, gambling or nightclubs and I had a brilliant time and would go again - there's so much to see and it is THE best place to people watch ;)
    So jealous of your lovely lie in but you both deserved it I'm sure!
    xxx

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  6. I really like this dress and the shape of it. I wish I could whip up a dress like that for an evening out! Would love to see a pattern for this - have you thought about doing a sew along?

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  7. I love the drop waist style, haven't seen anything like it in a long time. and the neck line is beautiful. I was thinking that instead of the shirring,with elastic waist, maybe just a band of fabric, so it would just hang, and not ride up? I've actually never sewn my own clothes before, but I had a dress like that when I graduated from junior high school and I would love to recreate it.

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  8. 1. I think you look great in that dress!
    2. I just read about your temple square incident with Rhett. Hilarious! I had a good laugh.
    3. I wish you were my aunt!

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