While on vacation the first week of August, I made a summer formal dress to wear to a wedding that Saturday. A family member was getting married, so I needed a new dress.
I know all of the major pattern companies have created evening wear attire. I own a few of those patterns. However, I like my evening wear pretty, fancy, comfortable and different from what you see on the sale racks or online. I'm really not a sequins girl and it seems as if everything is either sequins, lace or satin in tight or close-fitting silhouettes.
I believe almost any pattern can be made up in fancy fabrics and become formal wear. I've done it in the past...
I made this Deer & Doe Myosotis dress in June 2019. It was originally made to wear to a debutante ball but I've worn it to a couple of black tie events since then.
Last year I made this Style Arc Hope Dress as formal wear:
It was perfect for an early November evening event. However, some of the same people were attending the wedding so I couldn't wear it again. Well I guess I could have but that's not my style.
For the wedding this summer I used McCalls 7969 to make a summer wedding frock.
I still have to write the blog post for this one because it was an ordeal. What should have taken me 2-3 days to make took 5. And I was hemming the dress the morning of the wedding because my daughter had to help with the hem. I just couldn't get it the right length by myself.
I shared this to ask, do you use formal wear patterns from the pattern companies to make eveningwear, or do you use regular patterns and eveningwear/formal fabrics?
Honestly I'm interested because I need to know if I'm a one off sewist in this?
...as always, more later!
*I know Blogger has made it more challenging to sign in but would you kindly sign your name if you use anonymous. It makes it easier to talk back to you. Thanks so much!
I love your upscaled evening wear. I don’t make a lot of fancy outfits, but the wisdom of a few tnt patterns that fit is becoming more and more important. I love all of yours. I have a very old sewing book that includes a single dress pattern with pictures of it made into everything from play clothes to formal wear.
ReplyDeleteI have done both. I made a formal dress using a formal wear pattern for my daughter's senior recital in college. Her professors complimented her on her choice of gown. Later I made her wedding gown and used a pattern I had used for a regular dress, as that was the style she wanted. I used silk duchess satin, Alencon lace, pearls and crystals on the bodice and made it floor length with a train. It took three months to make but when she put it on she was so happy and told me it was just what she had wanted. I think the pattern is just a guide or suggestion. It's the fabrics and the accessories used that make a dress formal or everyday. Your dress is so summery and cool looking. Just right for a summer wedding.
ReplyDeleteForgot this wouldn't come up with a name. I'm Carolyn F.
DeleteThis is gorgeous! And I still love that Style Arc one so much, the lace top is fabulous.
ReplyDeleteI love all of these, especially the recent M7969. That is a great pattern with drama but I’ve never considered it for a formal event. Inspiring!
ReplyDeleteI certainly use patterns that I know fit me for more formal occasions. It’s amazing what different/fancy fabric will do as far as how dressed up the outcome is. Something a bit silky of floaty always ups the formal feel as opposed to linen or cotton which are my go to fabrics for everyday wear. I recently used a floaty viscose crepe and StyleArc Montana with the v neck and a wide waist tie for a summer wedding in Lucca Italy and I really liked it.
ReplyDeleteI like to use Pinterest for inspiration then put my own spun on things.
Love your blog🩷
Beautiful dress!! You look fabulous!!
ReplyDeleteI love it, you are such an inspiration as a sewer. I only make casual clothes, I have never made a formal outfit. I usually buy something boring.
ReplyDeleteLove the blue dress and your new figure.
ReplyDelete(I tried to sign in, I even tried to allow cookies, but I'm not tearing through every setting just so you can know I'm a real person-Lucy Kemnitzer, I've commented here before)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I have like 6 patterns I've altered over the years for every purpose. I never have a call for very very formal clothes, but as fancy as I get, I make from the same patterns I make my everyday clothes from. Like you, I don't care for sequins and so forth on my clothes, so I just make things in more elegant fabrics for more fancy settings, and since I'm always doing little style tweaks anyway, I do some of those for the fancier things.
One side effect of this, since even my more elegant fabrics are soft, breathable, and rugged (yes! all!) is when the fancy clothes get a bit more worn in, I can wear them around town and not look out of place. Or any more out of place than usual, since my tastes run to the eccentric.
I made a tshirt dress in a viscose (rayon) knit covered in waves of tiny sequins which I wore to a December wedding. It worked wonderfully - https://ruthieksews1.blogspot.com/2025/12/sequin-wave-dress.html Ruthie
ReplyDeleteFirst, your summer wedding dress is stunning. Love the colors and the fabric you chose. You look wonderful! I would never have thought to use McCall's 7969 for a formal wear option. But wow, did it ever work. I rarely have a need for formal wear but when it does come up, I skip over the evening wear gown section of the patterns, it's not my style. The last dressy-dress I made was for a summer wedding using Butterick 6784 in a polyester crepe. I failed on the fabric choice. It was a hot day and not the right fabric. I was melting. I think that is the only time I wore it although I have other versions of the dress made in natural fiber fabrics that I wear more often. Anyway, your dress is lovely!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful dress you made! And I like the whole way you styled it. Great idea to use a tried and true pattern in a fancy fabric. Mimi
ReplyDeleteYour dress is lovely along with your hair! Yes, I almost always use my TNT patterns for formal wear. As noted, the appropriate fabric makes the difference between casual and formal. Thanks for your posts! Karen in Austin
ReplyDeleteYour dress is fabulous and you look amazing wearing it.
ReplyDeleteIlse
I’m definitely not a dressy dress person and would go with your options of well fitting tnt with some really nice and appropriate fabric. They all look wonderful. Trish S
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