Pattern Review - Simplicity 1155

So Saturday was Fall Gold Cup, and it was a blast.

Our neighborhood gets together and throws a huge tailgating party. This year's theme was Kilts and Corsets. It was a blast - I said that before, oh well it bears repeating. Everyone was in the spirit. 

For my dress, I decided to go vintage 50's styling. The thing I love about the 50's is that most of their styling was about the appearance of a nice cinched in waist (without the use of a corset!) and tailored details. 

For my dress, I decided that Simplicity's 1155 was the perfect blend of a corset-style dress without being an actual corset. 

Please ignore the dirty mirror! I was almost done getting ready in this photo.

The dress is fairly straight-forward. Typical princess-seamed bodice and a large circle skirt. The interesting part comes in at the bust. It's pleated and has halter-like straps that come up and around the shoulders and then back along the bodice. I wish I'd gotten a picture of the back of the dress, because there is a snappy little bow back there that adds some fun drama to the back, and strategically hides the top of the zipper. 

I hate those straps. Actually, I hate the bust. It looks great. It's a pain in the ass and forget about altering it after you've gotten all of those bloody pleats in. 

I altered the bodice pieces from the bustline down to the waist, because my bust is a size 16 and my waist a size 18. By the way, we're talking pattern sizes here, not traditional clothing sizes. There is a difference. 

So I alter the pattern with no problems whatsoever. The problems arose when I first fitted the pleated section of the dress. Apparently I lack side boob. I sit front and center with very little padding near my arms. This is a problem with this dress. I want to reiterate that I altered the bodice below the pleated portion of the bodice. The pleated portion and the straps are a straight 16. 

Now usually if I have this gappy problem, I add a dart or take in the underarm seam. I couldn't add the dart to the bodice without completely ruining the look of the pleats. I also couldn't take in the underarm seam, because it already fit perfectly. This dress might have fit a person with wider shoulders better, but I lack shoulder girth, so it was a problem for me. 

There is also a lot of hand-sewing required with this dress. It's an annoyance.

I will admit that you can't really tell that the bodice is not as fitted as I like. The pictures look like the dress fits perfectly. It doesn't, and I knew it. All day long. Can you tell by my face? 

I will also know it on Christmas when I wear this dress again.

Thank goodness for black strapless bras with excellent coverage. Oh and petticoats! I borrowed a petticoat and the fullness it added to the skirt is perfect! 

I am thankful that the day was chilly, because I never once lost my wrap. Having the wrap helped with the gappy bodice that I was sure everyone was staring at. They weren't. My head is a terrible person sometimes. 

The husband and I posing! I will admit I love the whole effect of the outfit. 

After I got the dress done, I decided that I needed a matching hat. I had fabric leftover so I whipped one up in an afternoon. I'll review the hat pattern later this week. It was awesome, and also let me have fun with some super large victory rolls! 

Have a terrific day!

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