Blue Shift

Did anyone read my last post and think, "Loose silhouette?  What is she talking about?"  Haha, baby steps!  Here's the next iteration. 

 

There's some extra pictures because I can't decide how I feel about this style.  Opinions?  Feedback so far has been "elegant".  That's nice... but wearing it I feel like I'm in a hospital gown. 

 This is a navy blue rayon challis.  I ironed it immediately before these pictures!  It wrinkled that much just from leaning over to put my shoes on.  Oh, well.  It's finished with store bought bias tape turned to the inside and top stitched. 

 
 Some of these pictures are more flattering than others.  The side view is perhaps not the prettiest part of this dress. 

Less flattering

I added a rouleau strap across the deep scoop back.

 

Ok, I'll put my hands down and let the dress just hang ...

 

Here it is with a belt.  I think my stylist could have stepped in here to arrange the poof better. ;)

  

  

If you noticed that the busted darts looked a bit high in some photos above, 
it's because the dress tends to slide back.  Wardrobe malfunction! 

 

I considered several solutions to keep it in place and not show my bra.   I think the simplest is the most effective -- little safety pins through my bra straps at the shoulders.

Shifting

In the past year or two I've been seeing the trendy silhouette shift to a looser shape.  Many sewing bloggers have made beautiful, loose dresses that look lovely on them, 1, 2, 3, 4 to point out a few.  In particular, the Flutter dress from Papercut captured my imagination.  Here are some inspiring examples:  1, 2, 3. 

This is not that pattern.  I'm not sure this trend is for me, much as I'd like it to be.  A shapeless sack drapes elegantly on a slender figure, or, specifically, a figure that is slender on top.  Can it work for us well endowed ladies?  Only one way to find out...

 I decided to ease in slowly.  I lengthened my basic sloper, played with the neck and shoulder line, and... left out the waist darts front and back.  Whoa!  This is my wearable muslin made in a rayon challis from eBay.  I finished the neck and armholes with store-bought black bias tape. 

It came out to be very wearable.  It needs a belt only because I was sloppy about putting in the side-seam pockets and skipped the stay tape, so the pockets pouch strangely around the hip.  I can shimmy in and out without a closure, so it's a quick sew.  Verdict on the sack?  To be investigated further...