Summer dress Version 1 - Black Gauze swimsuit cover up.

It's not the lovely gossamer fabric that Helmut Lang used in the dress a few posts ago but it's as close as I could get using my inventory.  A black cotton gauze.  This fabric came off the roll flat, but once it was laundered it narrowed considerably because the pleats became more pronounced, and the hand has completely changed from somewhat soft to a bit stiffer.  What a shock that would have been to make a garment up and have it become tiny later.  I could probably get it back to it's original dimensions by pressing it flat again, but why fight the inevitable?  It wants to be pleated, but only for a little while then it gets tired.  For this specific fabric, there is no recovery, and while it may be nice and pleated now, it will relax throughout the day.  This is partly why this version is a swimsuit cover up and not a dress to run around town in.  If I find I wear it often, you'll see it again in a better fabric, lined, and a pinch or a foot longer.  I promise to do a wardrobe summary at the end of the month so you can see the dresses on the body...... Once I get a haircut.... and locate the tripod.... and the remote timer.


Here's the inspiration garment.

The pocket match is pretty darn good.  

Here it is below in it's basted state before the hem was straightened out.

Sorry Black projects really don't photograph well.

The paper pattern.

It really is just the perfect size.

So the differences from the original?

Mine is not lined, it has hand rolled edges and hem.

My pockets are lined.

The fabric is cotton and not the viscose of the original garment.

It really is too short on me to be wearable so it's perfect as a swimsuit cover up.