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....