My Green Checked Vacation Dress

Every year when summer collections start to appear in the windows and in magazines, I begin my search for my dress collection for the approaching season. My ideal dress should be versatile and flattering, it must go well with different shoe styles and accessories and it should fit in with my summer travel destinations. This year I made only two dresses and a top but all of them ticked all the boxes of a perfect summer staple.

With this dress everything started with the fabric, a colorful cut of excellent cotton poplin from a French brand Façonnable that was shining at me like a bright mosaic one grey morning. I loved its fresh green color and its sporty checks reminding me of my favorite sports. My idea was either to make a shirt-dress or a skirt to work it into that crisp sport-chic look. Or turn my checkered treasure into a summery dress with a fitted top and full skirt.

Как обычно, все началось с ткани. Яркая мозаика клетки на сочном зеленом фоне дожидалась меня в это непогожее утро, когда мы забрели на рынок поискать серый лён для фото-проектов моей подруги. Клетка, цвет, яркий принт - это то, что всегда вдохновляет меня, поэтому вдобавок к льну был приобретен этот великолепный рубашечный поплин французской марки Façonnable и оставалось только решить, во что он будет воплощён. Выбор стоял между платьем-рубашкой в стиле спорт-шик и беззаботным летним платьем или сарафаном.

After cutting two experimental models for the top part of the dress, I decided to sew this model but made some changes along the way. My mom made the girl version of this dress for my daughter a couple of years ago and I was keen to try the model in adult size.

 BurdaStyle 07/2014 N 124B

Остановившись на двух моделях летних платьев с зауженным топом и пышной юбкой, я выкроила два экспериментальных топа моего будущего платья. Эту модель для детей шила моя мама для моей дочки два года назад, и мне хотелось обязательно  попробовать сшить взрослую модель.

I like working with checkered fabrics. It does require some extra attention when matching the checks before cutting or while sewing. But most of the time I find that checks make the job of assembling and sewing easier. In case with this fabric, the pattern was irregular (a quality very typical of seersuckers) and the dress had many seams on the front and back parts of the top.  Therefore, when cutting the dress I looked at every detail individually and had to match the checks of every detail to preserve some regularity and harmony.

Обычно это характерно для клетчатых типов сирсакера, но на этом поплине клетка была расположена несимметрично. Топ платья состоит из нескольких рельефных швов и мне хотелось сохранить гармоничный рисунок клетки, поэтому каждую деталь переда и спинки я раскладывала и выкраивала индивидуально, сопоставляя рисунок.

The original pattern has broad shoulder straps which made it look a bit heavy in this fabric. As the dress was already finished with lining and I did not want to open the neckline, I narrowed the shoulder lines by cutting out some fabric at the armholes as shown on the photo. I used fine silk for the lining.

Когда платье было полностью готово, широкие бретели смотрелись тяжеловато в этом принте и не совсем соответствовали моей задумке. Тогда я сделала их в два раза уже, просто вырезав плечевые проймы глубже и снова закрыв все подкладом. На фото первоначально сшитого платья показана примерная линия, по которой я уменьшала плечи. Для подклада я использовала тонкий шёлк.

To make the top of the dress longer for my height of 174 cm I added about 3 cm at the waistline of the top when cutting the fabric. I also used just one width of my fabric to make a skirt detail.

Из других изменений - удлинённый топ. При раскрое я добавила 2,5-3 см в длину к линии талии, так как по модели платье имеет завышенную талию. Для юбки платья я использовала одну ширину ткани, решив не создавать излишний объём ( и так лучше видны цвета клетки).

The dress turned out to be very versatile. I loved wearing it for sightseeing in Europe and going out with friends in Toronto, during my stay in the cottage country on Lake Huron in Canada or on Cape Cod in America. Depending on the shoes and accessories it can look either sporty or feminine. I spent quite some time making this pattern work for me, so I think I might use it again. 

Платье получилось универсальным и по-летнему легким -- оно в равной степени хорошо смотрится и в поездках, и в городе, и на природе. В зависимости от аксессуаров и обуви оно может выглядеть повседневным или нарядным. После всех измененийя я  доработала выкройку под себя, и с удовольствием еще вернусь к ней.

Wishing you happy summer and a lot of inspiration!

Прекрасного лета и вдохновения! 

For the Love of Ruffles: My Blue Chambray Dress.

Ruffles continue to be one the season's main trends this summer. Architectural on dresses, romantic on blouses, excentric on coats ... I love all the possible variations of this garment detail and even the first piece that I made for myself many years ago was a lemon yellow skirt with a ruffle. So it is no wonder I fell for this dress in blue chambray  with white ruffles in July issue of BurdaStyle.

This dress was featured as the Member Project of the week on the front page of BurdaStyle.com in June 2016

В июне 2016 это платье было выбрано редакторами и размещено на главной странице BurdaStyle.com как модель недели

Garden-Party Dress

The idea to recreate this set appeared immediately as I saw it in the fresh issue of BurdaStyle for July 2015. The whole collection in breezy light blue colour was just irresistable and it was difficult to decide which of the dresses to begin with. The lovely set in blue batiste with plumetis in the magazine seemed to be an absolute must-have for me, and it was just the matter of finding the fabric. I could see it in white in light emroidered batist, or in any other pastel shade.. It would make a lovely summery outfit for the vacation or garden parties.

Идея воссоздать этот костюм из июльского номера Бурды за 2015 возникла сразу. Вся небесно-голубая серия тогда просто заворожила меня своей легкостью, оставалось только найти ткань и определиться с какой модели из всего понравившегося я начну свою подготовку к лету 2016.

Dramatic Ruffles

This dress immediately drew my attention in the fresh April issue of the BurdaStyle magazine. The Princess-style silhouette, the original shape of bustier with a little slit and its dramatic ruffle collar were just irresistible. 

I thought that this model would look lovely as a Little Black Dress.  But then shortly afterwards I came across a nice shirt poplin of a deep navy blue colour. Ooh la la!  Bleumarine goes well with any other colour and the dress looks great either with golden accessories for the evening or with white sneakers for the street style.

The dress is quite easy to make. I added two black cups for the bustier just by sewing them to the inside.

The dress drew lots of attention be that at the theatre or at the seaside resort during my vacation. I might cut it shorter to be able to wear it more often.

Acqua

I made this dress for my last year  summer vacation. Everything started with the fabric.       

It was difficult to overlook this cotton of a beautiful color that seemed to have come from the advertising of Armani's perfume Acqua di Gio. The color made me think about the sea, the freshness of a swimming pool and about all the beauties of a vacation period. 

I immediately saw in it a little summer sheath for my coming vacation.

For me, the little sheath dress is an ultimate summer staple. Some find this classic dress boring but I think it is an excellent basic piece of wardrobe for any occasion and any style. 

I wanted this dress to be minimalist. A simple tank top-like neckline, moderate slit at the back, and close fit. The dress goes equally well with high heels, summer shimmery flats "Les Tropeziennes" or the white sneakers. 

Cotton with elasthane, no lining. I raised the neckline for about 1,5cm both at the front and on the back.