I did finish my dress, just in time for Valentine's dinner. Here's a photo that's pretty bad of me, and actually not all that good of the dress (I was sticking my knee out which made a funky pleat in the front, that it normally doesn't have) but it's the only one I've got.
I'm pretty sure it's the most difficult sewing project I've done so far, and I'm really happy with how it turned out. It was a Dior design and had a lot of couture touches like the bound buttonholes, the piping, and these funny little tabs on the skirt front, that I never could figure out what they were for. It will be a relief to go back to regular sewing after this!
Pam saw it on Friday night and exclaimed that it looked like something her grandmother would have tried to make her wear to high school. I confess, I'm kind of surprised that it bothered me. I'm a firm believer that fashion is all attitude -- if you feel like a dork, then you look like one. But (as my friend Jason says) if you feel like the coolest thing ever, then you won't notice or care about the people who think you look like a dork. I agree with the truism that bad taste is better than no taste. And of course I have good taste, which is even better.
So why do I care about this? I think partly it's because I had worked on it for so long, and the first reaction from the first person to see it (besides Georg of course) was so negative. I was kind of hoping for something along the lines of "wow, pretty." Not "ugh, looks like something my grandmother would try to make me wear to high school."
On the other hand, maybe she just had a really hip grandmother. Nobody ever tried to make me wear Dior when I was in high school.
It is a very pretty dress. I have to confess that my first reaction was, "My mother had a dress that looks exactly like that." But it was a good dress on my mother, and it's a great dress on you.
i think that dress looks COOL! you are the queen of the mods, sarah!
It's a beautiful, mod Valentine's Day dress! I think wearing a hat with it ala the model on the pattern envelope would be very nice, as well. You did a fantastic job making this dress! BTW, I think you like quite nice in this photo!
Aww, you guys, I really wasn't fishing for compliments. Although in retrospect, I see that's exactly what it looked like.
I agree that it would look better with a hat, especially since my hair is all wrong for the mod look. (I need to put my foot down with my hairdresser about that.) I have a hat that's the right color, but totally wrong style: kind of a mid-century cloche. I might try it anyway next time I wear this dress.
well, it's clear that your taste is nothing like pam's. at all. i'm actually laughing as i'm typing this. so don't be offended by her voicing her opinion... there's no way she would ever want to wear that dress (not now, not tomorrow, and not in high school!)
it's beautiful, btw... you're an amazing seamstress!