Dress Finished....In the Nick of Time!

On Sunday I finished the "Reunion Dress." I need to give it one last really good press, but otherwise it is ready to go. I used the Hot Patterns Urbanista Coat Dress pattern (that I had recently done in denim).

I really wanted a vintage shirt dress, but as discussed earlier, the muslins I made with gathered or pleated skirts were VERY unflattering given my shape. So, I needed to find a dress that had princess seams. But, none of my vintage patterns fit the bill. So, I thought that the exaggerated collar, belt, and A-line shape of the Hot Patterns dress would suffice as an if not vintage, vintage-inspired shirt dress.

No photos of me in it yet...since I need some new undergarments and a pedicure, but here is the finished dress:


And from the back:


And detail of the top-stitching at the edge of the lapel/collar:


The silk was rather flimsy, so I underlined the entire dress with silk organza. Because I underlined it, I did not want to add another layer and line it as well, so I needed to finish the seams in some way. Because the dress was silk, and I had gone through the trouble of underlining, I didn't want to just overlock the edges. I decided to use what was left of the silk and do a Hong Kong finish on the seams:


And also on the edge of the facings:


Today I also picked up a pair of shoes to go with the dress. They are a bluey-silvery leather with little silver studs (that look a little like the dress's buttons) around the edge:


The reunion is Saturday, so I'll make sure that I post some photos on Sunday! Hope everyone has a fantastic week!!!