“Go for Brocade” Dress. An Adaptation.
A personal goal of mine is to try (I mean really try) to dive into my fabric stash and use what I’ve got. Years ago someone sent me a rather large brown metallic brocade 1960s dress. At some point I cut the dress down to a skirt, which I then never wore. That skirt was then packed away with my collection of fabric. My adaption of the “Go For Brocade” Dress finally put that dress/skirt/fabric to use. As the original dress had a straight skirt on it, there was nowhere near enough fabric to do the whole project in brocade. I opted to do the bodice in the brocade and add a solid colored skirt.
Fabric: Brocade (that used to be a too-big 1960′s dress) on top, Double Georgette for the skirt, and satin for the lining.
Pattern: None. I searched my collection of patterns (which I am also trying to put to good use) and couldn’t find a single one with princess seams on the bodice. Not too surprising, though, as I tend to have trouble fitting princess seams. Rather than taking the time to draft something from scratch, I used the bodice of a dress I had recently taken apart (upcycle!) as a guide. As expected, I had to make some modifications. Surely I am not the only person whose chest has issues with this cut. Surely.
Year: Bodice fabric – 1960′s/Style late 1950′s/”Pattern”- 1990′s
Notions: Zipper and rust colored satin piping which was salvaged from the original dress.
Time to complete: About 10 hours (including picking apart the “original”) (oh and I was watching a movie while doing the hand stitching, so . . .).
First worn: Today. Just to snap some quick photos.
Wear again? The next time I have a fancy event and the mood strikes me . . . yes. Although, I can’t say I am completely sold on this dress. Maybe it’s the color – too much brown? Maybe it’s the cut – is the skirt too full? I’m on the fence with this one.
Total price: Double Georgette – $11.98/Satin – $9.98/Zipper – $1.26/Thread $2.65 for a grand total of $25.87.
I am such a sucker for fitted bodices matched with full skirts, but I am coming to terms with the fact that it is just time for a more grown-up (and slimming) go-to style. More wiggle dresses in 2012! Alas. A wiggle dress would not have worked for this project. So, if I were to tweak this dress and still keep it keep the silhouette and style of “Go for Brocade” I would probably have made the neckline just a tad deeper. I also would have done something more interesting with the back. You can’t see it, but it’s just real high and real snoozy. (But effectively guards against drafts and sunburns.) I do like the vintage brocade very much. I will have to keep my eyes peeled for vintage dresses for the purpose of re-purposing. I mean, after I use all the fabric in my stash, of course.
You Go Girl, love the Brocade look.
Cute dress, it suits you. :)
Oooo! I love brocade and I love bronze! You look absolutely divine.
Very nice – I think this colour is great on you.
I agree. It’s lovely.
Great upcycle – the bronze is a refreshing colour change from the usual fancy dresses you see.
The dress is lovely and judging by the photos the bodice fits like a glove!
I think this color looks so rich on you, and the style suits you as well :) I feel weird in full skirts, but every time I see something like this, wish I could pull it off half as well.
Get off the fence — it’s beautiful! I think it would be incredibly lovely for a fall event….
Very lovely dress and colours! Suits you very much!
Love the combination of fabric, it looks great on you!
I think the color is fantastic on you. Beautiful.
I think you made it really modern! The brocade top matched with the matte of the double gorgette has really given the dress a great Anthro vibe. To me it’s just begging to be styled with a jean jacket, a great chunky knit cowl in a multicolored wool and a cute pair of boots..
Love that bronze color on you! I think the fitted bodice and full skirt look is plenty grown up, but then I might be biased since that’s about 75% of my me-made clothes!
That dress looks great on you! It would be awesome styled with a bright blue color os a dark teal. Like a cute cardigan or a belt. I am jealous!
I really like the colour it is unique
Nice job modernizing vintage fabric! It looks great!
I love your version even more than the original – good job!
Wonderful use of your stash! I’m a big fan of repurposing and trying to narrow down the stash. I enjoyed your journey through this dress project. It really is quite lovely!
Absolutely stunning, brilliant use of stashed fabric. Just love it.
I Love the fit of this dress. I think this aqua cinch belt from etsy would look great with that. It would help marry the transition between fabrics and also provide a great contrast.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/80507509/turquoise-cinch-belt-autumn-leaves?ref=sr_gallery_5&sref=&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=aqua++cinch+belt&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all&ga_facet=
Ohhhh! So cute. I love that brocade. Good use of an out of use dress.
Stunning! What a gorgeous shape and colours :D
I LOVE the bodice! And I think it works fabulously with that full skirt! Go dancing and swish that skirt around, I say :)