A Designer Interpretation in Linen

I like the designer, Barbara Tfank, for her ladylike dresses.  To me they express a classic elegance that epitomizes the look of the 1960s.  Her dresses speak of Grace Kelly's and Jackie Kennedy's style and panache to me.  So even though my original idea was for a sheath dress and jacket in black linen, this style spoke to me even more.

Now there's loads of black linen in the Moods NYC store, as well as their online one, and can be found here.  I know linen is a basic and not a flashy designer fabric BUT it is a staple in my summer wardrobe.  It has been an especially busy summer meeting-wise at my job, so my black garments have seen a higher than usual wear which has caused me to become tired of them.

Because of that, I wanted a new dress for meetings at work.  For this one, it's definitely the details that were featured in the designer's line that convinced me that a similar dress had to become part of my wardrobe.  I love the neckline, the waistline detailing and the pleats in the front and back of the dress.

Some details ~

Fabric...
5 yards of mediumweight black linen

Notions...
Black rayon bemberg lining
9" black invisible zipper
Gutterman green thread
Black rayon seam binding

Construction Details ~

I started with my TNT dress pattern, Butterick 5147, which is sadly out of print now.  The dress' construction details can be found in this post.  

The most important detail is the pleat in the front of the dress.  This pleat can be a little tricky for a plus size woman but using this crisp fabric and some edge stitching to hold it flat worked for me.

Of course the topstitching detail at the neckline and waistline add to the elegance of the design and also help to give the dress waist definition...

...and I love the full skirt with all of the pleat detailing in both the front and the back.  It's not one of my typical dress silhouettes but sometimes we step out of our comfort zone, right!    

It is the perfect summer dress.  Add a short linen jacket or cardigan for work and meetings or as pictured below with a short sleeve cardigan for a dinner date or afternoon wedding.

I love linen.  It's easy to wear, sews up beautifully making the most amazing garments and I think the wrinkles give it character.  I also love that I've come up with a new variation on a trusted dress pattern.  I will have to use this altered pattern again for a winter dress!

Finally as a parting shot...

The grandkids were with me since their mother is my photographer and they always want to be included in the photo shoot.

...as always more later!