Bebe Spring 2013 Knock Off

It only took me 3 1/2 months, but it's finished!  Back in March I saw this lovely "bebe" dress iin InStyle magazine and set out to make my own version. Here's that Previous Blog Post.  Fast forward through all the things that got in the way: Prom alterations, end of the school year, and life in general... and here we are to the finish line!

Inspiration Garment: Bebe Spring 2013 "Luxury Vines Printed Peplum Dress" No longer available, I have no idea what the original price was, but it is a cotton dress and just looked so fresh and springy.

When I saw it described as having a peplum, looked really closely... Yeah, not very obvious, even when you see the one from the bebe shopping website:

So, I thought the skirt was asymmetrical, with a single hip curve, but I was wrong. No biggie. Still love my dress. I do like the way the bebe version has centered that "white space" between the flowers at the center front, though...

Pattern Description: A combination of Vogue 8727 (top, view D) and Butterick 5566 (bottom,view DE)

Pattern Sizing: I made a mix of 12 and 14 based on the finished garment measurements. True to size for the most part, I could take it in a little in the waist/hips, but it feels good!

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Well, it definitely ended up looking like the "inspiration garment"!

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, but I didn't follow them much since I lined the whole dress and it changed up the order of assembly a little. Basically, I constructed the outer garment top, then the skirt portion, keeping them separate

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? The style lines were exactly what I needed to recreate the dress.

Fabric Used: Cotton Sateen from Haberman Fabrics. Since sold out, but it was the closest colorway/floral to the bebe dress that I could find. I also fully lined with white poly "posh" lining. I think the cotton was about $10/yd, so with the invisible zipper, bias tape and lining... I'd estimate it cost me about $30.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: Just a few changes...
1. Fully lined the garment.
2. Added Double Fold Bias Tape to the neck and armholes.
3. The pictures I was studying made the dress appear to have an asymmetrical hip curve on the skirt. (I later realized that the "peplum" was created by the two slightly pronounced hip curves, but my dress was already midway through construction.) I traced the Butterick skirt pattern using a regular darted view for the front right, and the hip curve version for the front left, and placed a "half" front underneath the hip curve side. Clear as mud, right?!

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  Yes, I'd make it again! In fact, I overbought on fabric, and have enough for another version! It was quite simple and I'm very happy with the outcome.

Conclusion: It took me a lot longer to complete than I planned (I've been quite busy since late March with Prom alterations, finishing the school year, and other sewing and embroidery jobs), but I love it.

I love making RTW knock-offs. I have my next one ready to go, in fact. It's a Valentino dress, and I'm really excited to get moving on that project! This time I won't let it sit for 3 months, though!