Mood Style: Perfect Little Herringbone Dress

I happen to be absolutely in love with perfectly fitting dresses and no one does them better than Victoria Beckham. I kinda scratch my head at the fact that I’m head over heels for a Spice Girl, well not her exactly but you get my point.  Her dresses are AMAZING—the fit, the fabric and the simple lines are pretty much perfection at the highest level. But this is where the love ends…. The average price of one of her beautiful dresses is a cool $2,500. Yes, you heard me, $2,500 for just one?!?! Ummmm I don’t think so.

Into my life walks this fabulous herringbone fabric from MoodFabrics.com. Now this is fabric perfection! This 2-way stretch wool that cuts and sews perfectly allows you to create a great fit without a lot of work.  I lined the dress with this silk georgette from MoodFabrics.com, which is a perfect compliment to the wool. Editor’s note: The current product listing does not indicate Lycra in the content; we are in the process of updating the descriptive copy.

The dress was made with the bodice of the McCall’s M5927 pattern and a self-drafted skirt with the following alterations:

-Added 1.5″ to the front and back of the neck for a higher neck

-Cut the back and front bodice pieces 5.5″ from the top to create two additional pattern pieces and seam lines

-Faced the back and front bodice pieces

-Reduced the diameter of the arm opening to create a slimmer sleeve

-Cut the sleeve at 11.5″ from the top to create a seam

-Add a 2″ seam cuff

-Drafted a skirt to attach to the bodice -measure from the bottom of the bodice to determine the length you want the skirt. Measure your hips at the widest point and cut two pieces of fabric with those dimensions.  Fold the back piece of the fabric lenghtwise and cut it in half. Using a 5/8″ seam allowance sew the back pieces together baste stitching from the top down 9″ for the zipper then sew the side seams. Matching the bodice side and back seams to the skirt side and back seams, pin together. Working from both side seams, gradually decrease the waist so the skirt matches up to the bodice, this will require you to create new side seams. Once the skirt and bodice matches up and the seams are matching, sew the skirt and bodice together making sure you baste across the zipper seam. Attach a 22″zipper, try the dress on inside out. To create your perfect fit, pin the skirt where needed and mark with chalk. Remove the dress and make the appropriate fit adjustments then trim the excess seam allowance.

-Add a 2″ seam band at the bottom of the dress