A Night to Remember...and a New Dress

Thank you all for your wonderful comments on the latest skirt.  It is so comfortable and has already found its way into my weekly wardrobe.  I love it.  Oh, but what a wonderful night I have had! While listening to the radio last week, my DH heard that there was going to be a Couture Hawaii Fashion Show at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center on Sept. 3, 2011.  He came to me and asked if it was something I would like to go to.

"YES!" was my instantaneous reply. So off he went to purchase tickets.  How cool is that?  I have never been to a real fashion show, and I am not sure if Maui has ever had one prior to this.  I have dreams of one day being able to visit the garment district in New York City, and you all know that I am a fan of Project Runway.  I was thrilled to find out that Andy South, a finalist from Season 8, born and raised in Hawaii, would be hosting the event.  Well tonight was the big event..."What to Wear?"..."What to Wear?"

I "needed", okay "wanted",  a new dress that was for sure!  You would think that I would have had something whipped up last week, but no, I waited until the last minute.  I looked my fabrics up and down, I pulled out patterns, I put patterns back, I contemplated, and contemplated some more.  "What do people wear to fashion shows?" I thought to myself.  Finally, I came up with an idea.  Since this fashion show was showcasing three mainstream Hawaii designers and the University of  Hawaii Maui College's Couture Club Student collection, I thought I would create a dress with an island vibe, but also with a bit of edge. 

I used Vogue 9811, view B (the maxi length), as a starting point and a beautiful cut of rayon lycra knit from Emma One Sock for my material.  I also admire the t-back design element I have seen Anya, from this season of Project Runway, make on a couple of her dresses, so I definitely wanted to incorporate that too.

This pattern is drafted for a woven fabric and comes in sizes XS to XL.  I fear it may be OOP.  It's been in my stash for a LONG time.  Since I decided to make my version out of a knit, and because I referenced all the finished garment measurements printed on the pattern as well as taking some of my own measurements, I decided it was best to cut the XS.

I made several changes to the pattern.  I eliminated all the shaping darts in the front and the back, and I eliminated the zipper.  I added a strap down the center back with silk ribbon stitched to the seam line to prevent it from stretching, and attached it and the neck straps to a brass ring.  I also moved the slit to the center back of the dress, rather than having it on the side.  The neckline is finished with facing, and for the life of me the facing on the front neckline would not stay tucked in even after I understitched it.  I fixed that problem with some Heat & Bond Lite iron on adhesive which I placed just below the horizontal neckline between the facing and the fashion fabric.  It worked like a charm and cannot be detected at all from the outside of the garment.  My neckline lies flat now.  And here is the final result:

Andy South did a fantastic job hosting the show tonight!  He definitely has tons of energy and talent.  His designs will be sold at Neiman Marcus this fall.  Way to go Andy!!!  Thank you so much for sharing a moment of your time with me for this picture and for giving me permission to share it with you all. 

My weekend is off to a pretty great start.  I hope yours is too!