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Monday, September 09, 2013

A Wool Crepe Dress ala Michael Kors

This dress is on my fall sewing list but it wasn't one of the items I was thinking of working on during the sewcation.  However, I saw this on "The Lisa Robertson Show" on QVC...



...and I had the original Michael Kors dress saved in my inspiration file...



Kerry Washington wore it as Olivia Pope in Scandal

I've thought about making this in several different color and lace combinations but settled on this one...



I wanted some color since it seems like I've sewn black, black and more black for the last week.  Since this is a simple sheath dress with a black lace insert, I started with my TNT dress pattern.


Notions ~
22" red invisible zipper
7" wide black lace purchased from M&J Trims
red bemberg lining
red rayon seam tape
Ltwt. fusible knit interfacing strips

Construction Information ~
One of the interesting parts of this dress is the lace insert and it's placement. Since I'm plus size the lace emphasizes my hips (at least to me) rather than the slim waistline emphasized in the pics above.  Honestly at one point while applying the lace I wondered if this look would actually work for me but after getting the lace applied...I do like the look.

Applying the Lace to the Dress ~
Before inserting the lining to the dress, I tried it on to find the best point to place the lace on my dress and my body.

*Then I pinned the lace at the center fronts top and bottom and the side seams.  Managed to do this with a minimum amount of twisting and turning...



*Pinned the lace to the dress front and back at the top and the bottom. Double checked by measuring from the top and bottom of the dress front to insure that it was the same all the way around.

*Stitched the top of the lace to the dress by hand.

*Put the dress on again to check placement.

*Hand stitched the bottom band of the lace to the dress.



*Carefully cut around the lace motifs at the zipper center back insuring that the lace wasn't too close to the seam to get caught in the zipper...even added an additional piece of lace to cover some empty spots...

Second design feature ~
The neckline must have been stretched out when I was handling the dress. This could have been prevented if I had stay stitched the dress' neckline but of course, I didn't.  I could have used the pattern piece to snug the dress' neckline back up but after taking a tuck in it, I decided that I liked the tuck. 

It made a great design feature. So I edge stitched both tucks and pressed it flat.  Then the top of the tuck was basted down prior to the lining being inserted into the dress. Finally I added a few quick stitches at the bottom of the tucks so that they wouldn't release.



When I added the lining to the dress, I added a row of gathering to snug up the lining so that both necklines would match when sewing them together.



Technically this is a mistake.  I should have taken better care when handling the fabric BUT I like to think of it as a design feature. *LOL*

Otherwise the dress was assembled as I normally do. Here's a few pics of the dress in motion...



...and how I'll wear it with a black cardigan



I know I've just made another version of my TNT dress with lace on it but lace is still trending strong for fall.  I've got an entire Pinterest folder to reflect that trend and every day I find more things to add to it.  I also really like how lace softens office wear so there may be more of it showing up in my work wardrobe.

...as always more later!



49 comments:

  1. As usual, another home run!!! Love this dress and it looks great on you....

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  2. Beautiful! I love the color on you, and absolutely love the tucks! Never would have thought they weren't intentional. Great job!!

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  3. I absolutely love this colour on you!

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  4. Hot to trot! You are making Kerry Washington proud for sure. Gorgeous look and I love the vibrant color choice.

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  5. Love the crepe especially in red. Love the picture "hands on hips" defining the waistline!

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  6. Lovely dress. You look good!! The tucks are great.

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  7. Oh, the lace makes this dress pop! I'm seeing lace everywhere these days. :)

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  8. Somehow, that lace takes a very nice TNT and makes it FANTASTIC!

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  9. Carolyn, you look absolutely beautiful. That colour is so flattering, and the design feature looks absolutely intentional. The lace waist feature really lifts it all up a notch. Love it.

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  10. Carolyn, LOVE that dress! I have had it in my "file" ever since I saw it on Scandal too. You did a fantastic job as usual:)
    ~Renae

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  11. This dress is beautiful. Color is great for you!

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  12. I really like this on you and the red is wonderful.

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  13. Carolyn, you look like a million bucks in this dress. You just SHINE. Job well done, and I like your solution for the neckline issue. I swear, you and I are on a wavelength lately. I have 2 yards of ivory wool with black lace trim ready to become that Michael Kors dress... not kidding!

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  14. Gorgeous dress and love the lace detail.

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  15. Whoever does wardrobe for Kerry Washington does a great job. The coats, dresses and colour palate always so chic. And so is your version of this dress. It's just gorgeous Carolyn!
    Spring 2014 is coming through on style.com and lace is still very strong so this dress will transition very nicely!

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  16. You look absolutely beautiful in red. The tnt dress with lace is a great look.

    You have inspired me to wear more dresses. Thank you

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  17. Oh, my, what an gorgeous, gorgeous dress. You look fabulous.

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  18. Love the lace at the waist. Pretty dress!!!

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  19. I'm going to respectfully disagree with you - I think the lace does accent your waist and in a good way. Yes, it follows the curves of your hip, but there needs to be curve there to follow! Love the tucks at the neckline. Mistake/Design Feature - nice job! I love this color! It's stunning on you. g

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  20. This dress is gorgeous and you look fabulous! I love the black lace against that color!

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  21. Love! I also saw that dress on the LR show and I really liked it!! Your version is fabulous and in my favorite color combo. :)

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  22. You always do such a wonderful job of interpreting designers into your work wardrobe. I love this dress with the jacket. IMO the lace works to create a strong waist definition, and with the jacket on you get a fantastic colour blocked effect. You look great.

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  23. You make wonderfull creations. I added your blog to a dutch sewers discussion group as an inspirational blog.
    Www.sancho.nl

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  24. You look fabulous in red! I was also thinking of doing a version of this dress since seeing it on Olivia Pope on Scandal...I may have to copy you :-)

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  25. I like this look, and I particularly like how it looks with the cardigan. Looking at proportions and the Kors pic in particular I wonder if a slightly smaller width lace might flatter your waistline more. It seems to be overwhelming Kerry a bit as well. Just something to consider if you make this pattern again.

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  26. Great colour! Looks especially nice with the cardigan. Like your hair too :)

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  27. What a stunning dress. You are a sewing inspiration.

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  28. Awesome, when I come to NYC if the dress is missing from your closet, it was me. lol

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  29. Love it!!!
    You did a Fabulous Job!!

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  30. I love this dress the lace is beautiful. Great colour choices as well. I actually like the gathering at the neck it adds more interest. Can I ask what you used the strips of knit interfacing for?

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  31. It is a beautiful dress and looks perfect on you.

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  32. Great dress! Thanks for you well wishes on my Fabric Mart contestant selection. Believe it or not I am using some ideas and techniques learned from YOUR blog for my first project! Tee hee......stay tuned! Peg

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  33. The dress looks lovely on you, the colour and the lace insert, very nice! I also really liked the "mistake" that you turned into a design feature. Well done you!

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  34. Perfection, as usual! I love the color of that wool crepe so much. I think the lace insert is so freaking pretty, looks great with and without the cardigan, and most importantly... looks amazing on YOU! I also really like the neckline tuck you added, way to make a mistake into a design element :D

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  35. You are wearing another winner dress in these pictures. Love the dress! The tucks do make a design statement. They look like you planned them.

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  36. I love this! Stunning, but so versatile. I am doing a lot of summer sewing still (we are having a heat wave here) but you are really inspiring me to start sewing more complex things for fall! I am fining more inspiration on your blog than I am from any other sources this year.

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  37. Absolutely stunning. I think I may not renew my subscriptions when they run out, because your designs are so inspiring. Thank you! I thought your "design feature" was planned right from the get-go, it works perfectly.
    I loved this line "Managed to do this with a minimum amount of twisting and turning..." ain't that the truth for anyone that sews for themselves!

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  38. Carolyn, this is just as stunning as I knew it would be! I had been drooling over Olivia Pope's dress since that episode aired. I may have to add something like this to my wardrobe. This is just beautiful!

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  39. I think this is one of my favorite things out of your recent projects. You've got just the right combination of color and lace going on.

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  40. Looks awesome, Carolyn! I love the red on you.

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  41. I know this is an old post, but I just had to comment. The dress is so gorgeous! I love how you interpreted it in the hot pink color; it's a joy to look at and and flatters you so well.

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  42. Beautiful and very feminine dress. Suits you so well.

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  43. Pretty dress! I don't think the lace emphasizes the hips, but the dress itself could use more waist shaping, maybe. I see your issue with the lace placement--it looks low in back, and seems to need some back darts or more shaping at the waist.

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  44. I love this dress! Such an effective look, but relatively simple to achieve. This colour looks great on you too. And the save for the neckline looks like it was totally meant to be there. Super.

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  45. Carolyn,
    This is a beautiful dress and the color is STUNNING on you. I just have one question. Did you use stretch lace or was it a regular lace?

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