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Sunday, August 26, 2007

Inspired by Tory Burch

I love the September fashion magazines especially the September Vogue (which finally showed up, BTW!) To me the best part of these magazines are the advertisements. Hey, I am a sucker for pretty pictures on glossy paper! *smile* My normal manner of reading these magazines is to flip through the magazine, examine the ads and mark the pages that I want to use as inspiration for future garments. Sometimes they are cut out and added to my inspiration book and if they are really working a nerve, they are cut out and added to my bulletin board. Every once in awhile something is so pressing that I need to figure out a way to make it right away.

So I got to this ad in the September 2007 Vogue - it is a Tory Burch dress that is used in a Bloomingdales ad - and I stopped in my tracks. To me this dress would be perfect for right now if I made it in a drapey summer fabric. After a trip to the fabric closet and to the notions and trim stash, I had a concept for my version of this dress.

First let me show you what the original Tory Burch looks like, it's called the Agnes dress and its made from a knit fabric.


Here is my dress:


Pattern:
TNT Dress - The version and pattern pieces that I used to make the Chanel dress.

Fabric:
A black/green herringbone linen blend purchased from Fabric Mart for $1 a yard. This was purchased during one of Fabric Mart's semi-annual store sales (where everything is $1 a yard) and has been in my collection for at least five years.




Notions:
2 yards of black satin piping
3 black glass vintage buttons - thanks Joanna!

Alterations/Changes to the Pattern to Achieve this Look:
~I added three inches to the yoke & front pieces and cut them out separately.
~I added a lightweight fusible interfacing to both fronts and folded the three inches back on the overlapping front piece.
~Piping was added to the neckline (handsewn in) and then the yoke facings were sewn down to finish the neckline opening.
~The sleeve facing was cut on the bias and added to the sleeve by folding it in half and then stitching in the ditch to secure it.
~The back zipper was omitted since there is now a button front opening.

The differences between the "Designer Dress" & "My Version":
~Mine has a yoked front opening
~My sleeves have a bias band at the end and are a little longer
~My dress has a side slit
~I omitted the pockets on the front

This is a very simple dress with just a little trim to add some spice. All of this is deliberate since I am attempting to make garments that have a more corporate slant to them and will fit in better with the atmosphere at my office. I think I finally have a fix on what garments I need to make and still be me.










However, there are a few changes that I would make to this dress in the future. Taking the back zipper out of the dress affects the fit in the back and so I will need to either add a back seam or alter the back pattern pieces for a better fit. This dress will work great for fall with a jacket or by itself with longer sleeves.

And finally - patent leather is hot, hot, hot for fall. And I bought these Anne Klein shoes last spring and they will look so good with this dress.


And that is summer dress number nine....

18 comments:

  1. Wow, that is great Carolyn! Love the sleeves - nice touch. And glad to hear black patent will be in. One of the pairs I purchased over the weekend are black patent, very similar to yours. Mmmm, might wear them tomorrow ;))

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  2. That is a great dress, Carolyn. I am so impressed at the quick way in which you go from an inspirational picture into a finished dress for yourself.

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  3. Very nice Carolyn. I love how you see a picture, then you are IN the garment!!!! LOL

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  4. What a stunning dress. I love how a simple design can have such knock out power. Your inspiration dress was nice, but it was your version that took my breath away. I love it.

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  5. Great new dress - another winner! Now I'm inspired by your inspiration! Also, I love the shoes,

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  6. Another winner - I lvoe the piped neckline!

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  7. woohoo you were busy this past weekend. Great interpretation C. I really like the details around the sleeve hem and the neck.

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  8. I loved that dress when I saw it in the magazine too. I'm impressed that you've already made it!

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  9. Love your new dress! Those shoes are perfect for corporate wear.

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  10. Love the dress! Great homage to the original, but a better interpretation in my opinion.

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  11. What a lovely dress and like the detailing. Pretty shoes, I love patent leather - its something about that high gloss finish..lol

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  12. Great job on this dress Carolyn! I love how you take those pics and run with them... just like the dress that Cameron Diaz was wearing.

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  13. Perfect translation, Carolyn! It works for you and for the corporate job you have. I love piping detail at the neck and the bias on the sleeves.

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  14. Great dress Carolyn! I am in awe of your interpretive abilities. I love the way you take an idea and transform it into something uniquely your own which pays homage to the original idea but is in no way bound to it.

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  15. Carolyn, your dress looks very smart. I love the way you add variety to your TNT and just whip it up! And you can't beat the $ on this one.
    A winner all around!
    Yes, those shoes will look great on you!

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  16. Hi Carolyn, I absolutely appreciate how you share your process from inspiration to interpretation. The detail on the sleeves is brilliant.

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  17. Beautiful dress, I love the use of the vintage buttons, the placement of them puts them in a position where they can be seen and appreciated.

    Thanks for sharing your step by step process from inspiration to finish. Very impressive.

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