Sidenkleid mit Rosenprint

I was leafing through a German magazine a few years ago (don't ask) when I stumbled upon this picture of Keira Knightley in the most amazing Sidenkleid mit Rosenprint (their words, not mine!) from Prada.

Since I'm not really in the Prada tax bracket, I set out to make a version of it myself. The design is actually quite simple; the hardest part ended up being finding fabric. I really wanted to keep the monochromatic red floral on black background design (which really hearkens back to the '50s), but I searched high and low (and even visited Mecca) and all I could find was awful polyester prints of gaudy red roses a la Frederick's of Hollywood.


But on a business trip to San Francisco, I finally struck gold in the clearance section of the amazing Britex Fabrics - this lovely rayon swiss (a fabric with a ridged texture not unlike grosgrain ribbon) with monochromatic blue flowers on a black ground.

And then the project disappeared into the Black Hole of Sewing Ideas... only to finally re-emerge two years later in a slightly different form: a skirt. I preserved the original's '50s-style full skirt with a gathered waist, which is ridiculously easy to make. It's simply two rectangles of fabric sewn together at the sides, with one edge hemmed and the other gathered up. Really, that's all there is to it - no darts, nothin'. It will be simplified even further by using elastic to create the gathered waist - none of that basting crap! - but I'm not quite there yet.
One peculiarity of the fabric is the reverse side: it's solid blue. I'm planning on getting all fancy by hemming it inside-out, with a little band of blue peeking out along the top and bottom edges, highlighting the gathers at the waist and drape of the fabric. One edge is already done.

Next up: waisting away.

Maltop!

(...from a blog I've abandoned; original post date 3/28/08)

I found some late '50s fabric with a lovely ancient-themed print (vases, urns, carved columns) that was just screaming to be made into a vaguely Greek/Roman top for my trip to Malta. In the nick of time, it's done! Now I need to go clean that mirror.