Under Construction: Vogue 8946

Don't you just love Pinterest?
When I stumbled across the image of this dress, I had to make one similar.

I love everything about this dress, from the color and the asymmetrical folds to the shape and silhouette. With a couple yards of gray suiting on hand (and the lining and zipper even), I was ready to dive in.

Vogue 8946

The print hides the style lines, which is a shame.

There aren't any finished garment measurements printed on the tissue, so I made my usual size (16). I made no fit adjustments to the pattern, as they usually fit pretty well straight out of the envelope.
I'll admit though, that I didn't notice that the fabric recommendation is for a stretch fabric until I double checked it.  Oops... now what? My suiting has no lycra in it, so... what to do? I went back to the stash closet and dug around for a knit (and found one), but my heart wasn't in it. I wanted the gray Pinterest dress, damn it!!! Hmmm... if I only knew how the sizing ran!? Lightbulb! Check the PatternReview website and see!  Sure enough, people have said that the dress runs just a bit big, so out came the gray suiting again, and I was ready to start! I decided on view C, but the shorter version.

Construction has been pretty uneventful. The pleats and darts were pretty straight forward and not tricky or anything.  There is a separate front lining piece with darts instead of pleats, which is nice as it reduces the bulk created by all the tucks.

 

Invisible zip at center back and 2 darts

The fit is actually pretty awesome, considering I'm not using the recommended stretch fabric.  It's a wee bit snug in the hips, so I'll likely just decrease the side seam allowance 1/4" on both sides and move forward.  I really like it a lot, and although it's not a perfect replica of the Pinterest inspiration, it has the same vibe... a polished (and sexy) business look.

I've worked on it here and there while the embroidery machine was running Sunday (an hour, cutting fabric and pleating the top), and last night it had my undivided attention for about 2 hours (skirt pleats, cutting lining and construction), which ended with getting the zip inserted and the lining closed at center back.  So, I've only got the sleeves and hem left to go!  Super excited, I think this will be a great addition to my wardrobe!