Apparently, there was a study done on men and the caliber of a restaurant they would take a woman to, depending on how she was dressed. The outfit that prompted men to suggest the nicest restaurants? Red dresses.
So here is my finished Vogue 9668, in fire-engine red!
As I’m cutting this dress out, Mr Sewaholic is watching hockey. He’s the one that told me about the study, as I unpacked my latest bag of fabric purchases, so he must be hinting at something, right? During the commercial break, I smile and ask casually “So, where are you taking me for dinner once I finish my red dress?” And he says back “Well, where do you want to go for dinner? You pick.” (Success!!)
I suggested Las Margaritas, a fantastic little Mexican restaurant with one of the best patios in Vancouver. (Only been there once, but always wanted to go back!)
Anyways, talk about motivation for finishing this dress quickly! Food AND a cute new dress, not to mention margaritas on the patio.
Here are a few more shots of the finished dress:
This is a definite make-again pattern! It really suits my body type – narrow waist, wide hips, small bust. I didn’t make any changes to the pattern at all, and even cut the same size on top and bottom, which rarely happens!
Here’s the back view – it’s a little wrinkled from sitting in the car but still pretty. Love the flared skirt on this dress! There’s a bump on the right side but it’s from the belt, not the dress itself.
I was outside taking tailgate photos, when it started to rain, cutting the photo shoot short! The rest of the photos are inside my dry, warm home.
One thing to mention, if you make this dress – it goes on over your head. It’s not possible to step into it and get it over your hips, especially if your hips are anything like mine. Now it’s documented forever on my blog, so when I make this dress a second time and wonder why I can’t get it on, I’ll re-read this post and laugh.
Me-Made-May coverage resumes on Friday, and I have to say I’m looking forward to June! I’m counting down the days not because I’m anxious for it to be over, but I don’t want to bore you readers with repeat outfits. Every one of my Me-Made items has been out for a spin already! I’m planning to bring this dress out a few times before the month is over, styled differently of course.
My next project? I’d like to do a little vintage sewing so that I can post on the Sew Retro blog, there have been so many inspiring creations lately! I’m leaning towards starting on the Advance Shirtdress… has anyone by chance made this pattern? Let me know, otherwise stay tuned for my version coming soon!
This is super cute! I’m might copy you if that’s alright ;)
This dress is gorgeous and your craftsmanship is inspiring. Oh, and red looks really good on you.
Excellent version. I own that pattern too, but don’t know when I’ll get to it. Since, I’m in the process of making the Colette Patterns Oolong dress in a gorgeouse red right now, I’ll be using another color.
Also, someone more dedicated should try this dress with piping in the front seaming detail, but that won’t be me! ;)
Gorgeous! When I looked up the pattern just now, I realized I actually have it in my stash already. I might have to give it a whirl one of these days.
Beautiful! And thanks, I’ve got a similiar shape, so I flagged the pattern to try someday (when I make it to dresses). (I think about 15 years ago I had an epiphany in a dressing room—”if I don’t have to pull it over my head, there’s no way it’s going to fit me”.)
It’s beautiful! You look great in it, but I’m convinced you’d look great dressed in plastic sack!
Oh Tasia, I love this color on you and the dress is the perfect style for you! So lovely! You look terrific. And you definitely deserve a night out, courtesy of your man.
Love this dress on you! I typically don’t like myself in red, but just might have to try this trick. ha ha!
Great pattern too, I’ll put it on the list of things to try.
This dress looks FANTASTIC! And it’s a perfect fit! You look absolutely gorgeous–the color is a perfect shade of red!
I love this – it looks fantastic on you! Definitely a pattern that deserves a better illustration (and apparently, according to my envelope, it was first published in 1997? Crazy!) I’ve started searching online for a fabric to use for mine, and I’m looking at a print, but yours looks fabulous in a solid color!
Red is a great color on you! I should go make myself a red dress, too, so I can be taken out to a nice restaurant! :)
Stunning – you definitely need to be taken out to dinner in that!
Love how the neckline and empire waist echo each other.
Now you have extra item to wear for MMM!
Hello everyone and thanks for the lovely compliments!
Molly, I’m okay with you copying the dress, how flattering!
Jessica, it would look great in a print too, I feel like this one’s all about the neckline.
And I really like the idea of piping along the neckline, maybe I’ll try that on the next version.
I’ll be sure to report back on the promise of dinner, so we’ll all know for sure whether red dresses equal fantastic restaurant dates… Hope I can prove that the study is correct!
Oh my, I just love that dress so much. What fabric did you make it from? You look stunning.
Thanks Rachel for the compliment :) and you’re right, I realized later that I forgot to mention the fabric in my post…
It’s a lightweight 100% wool crepe, a total score from Fabricana’s clearance section at $6/metre. So I suppose my dress only cost $12 in fabric plus $10 in lining – not bad for a fully lined wool dress!
PS. If anyone makes this one, it asks you to line the sleeves and bodice with self fabric, which I didn’t do, so you can get away with slightly less fabric than it asks for. I’ll be sure to write more thoroughly when I post a pattern review!
Wow, it’s gorgeous! I wouldn’t have picked this pattern based on the model photo and line drawing..
Gotta try that “red dress” theory!
P.S. cute shoes too :)
You look fantastic in your red dress! I hadn’t noticed that pattern before, but must take a look at it. You have such great taste.
It looks lovely on you, both the shape, very flattering, and the colour. You deserved that great dinner!
Gorgeous! The red is stunning on you. I definately need a red dress in my life!!!!
This dress is gorgeous! I’m going out at lunch and buying the pattern pronto! I am full busted (and have curvy hips) and love that you made the comment of how well it fit your own bust so I know what alterations I need to make to the pattern. You really do some beautiful work. I love watching your blog!
Wahoo!!! It looks amazing on you and is sewn perfectly…as usual. :)
This dress looks great on you, too! Impeccable fit. And regarding the bridesmaid dress veto (better to say something here than on my blog)…Let’s just say that if instead of posting things publicly on the internet, I were sitting down to lunch with my blog readers, I could possibly talk about the recent dress drama for the duration of the meal! Thanks for saying you liked my version–you made my day! And yes, I’ll post the store-bought one as soon as I’ve received it and made sure it fits.
Lady in Red! The design and the color are a wonderful match! Lovely, perfect fit :)
Stunning! It looks gorgeous on you, and I love how you give us a running tally of how ‘liveable’ each dress is by whether or not you can eat a full meal with it. Darn it, you’re making my dress queue super long you know …
This is fab! I love the red wool crepe, I’ve been trying to find a fabric like this but the only red crepe I can find seems to be polyester :(
Thanks for your comments on my MMM post – can’t believe the month is already nearly at an end!!
Captivatingly gorgeous dress! Red is definitely your color!
gorgeous colour on you – this is a beautiful dress! I love wearing red dresses and am resigned to hearing ‘Lady in Red’ serenaded from any scaffolding I pass. I hope this one gets lots of outings!
I was looking at your blog for sewing inspiration this morning and I came across this post with a dress named after my favourite restaurant in Vancouver! The only thing I can think of now, at 10 am, is having an Enchilada de Senora, a Modelo Negro, and some delicious Las Margaritas salsa and chips. If only Las Margaritas had a restaurant in Ontario!
Hi Tasia! I have a question about this dress: I got the pattern yesterday and saw that it asks you to attach fusible interfacing on the bodice, did you do that? Isn’t it too stiff then?
By the way, I got your Pendrell Blouse pattern and am waiting for the fabric to arrive so I can start right away, yeah!
Thanks!
@Helena: Hi Helena! Yes, I did fuse interfacing to the bodice! The reason is to add body to the midriff piece, and to keep the neckline looking crisp. I used a lightweight knit fusible (if I remember correctly!) and followed the directions. I’ve made this dress twice and followed the interfacing steps both times – I don’t really notice any stiffness when I wear the dress, although my body fabric is nice and lightweight. Personally, I think it’s necessary, also to support the weight of the skirt. Otherwise the dress might look a little droopy, without the crisp lines of the neckline. So I’d say fuse! Hope this helps!
@Tasia: Thanks, Tasia! So fusing and then underlinign, I ghess? Thank you very much, really appreciate it!
@Helena: No problem! In this dress, I used lining (not underlining) just like the pattern suggests. Basically, I followed the directions just like they asked!
One other good tip: don’t forget to let the skirt hang for 24hours before hemming! That gives the bias time to stretch out, so you can hem it straight :)