Another Vogue 9253 – This time in GREEN!

There is probably an argument that sewing 3 separate versions of a very specific style of dress might be a bit much, but you won’t be finding that argument here. This is my third (and likely, not last) version of the Vogue 9253 pattern, a kimono-inspired deep V-neck dress. I sewed my first version in a beautiful mustard colored double brushed polyester knit when the pattern first released last summer, as part of the pattern contest hosted by McCall’s. At the same time that I purchased that mustard colored floral fabric from LA Finch, I also purchased this beautiful flowy crepe fabric, with Vogue 9053 in mind.

I spent St Patrick’s Day this year celebrating at a wedding, and needed to whip something up to wear (because I am ridiculous and truly believe that every wedding is a great excuse to add a brand new dress to my closet)! Of course, I wanted something wedding appropriate, in some kind of green fabric, and it needed to be appropriate for the Winter/Spring transition we’re going through in Texas right now. This fabric fit the bill so perfectly, and though I’d always imagined it as a lovely sleeveless Vogue 9053, I decided the the V9253 was the best option in this case. A big plus was that the pattern was already cut and prepared in my size, which made the pre-sewing prep work a much smaller task!

Though this is the third version I’ve made of this dress, they’ve all been in pretty different fabrics, which has lead to different fitting needs each time around. The original knit version I made of this dress requires double-sided tape to keep it modest at the neckline, and has a tendency to grow throughout the day. I probably should have ultimately sized down in the knit version; I’ve learned a lot over the past year! The cotton lawn version I sewed up last month, however, fit perfectly without any changes to the pattern – see my blog post here for more on that version! This particular fabric falls just about precisely in between the other two – it holds the shape much better than the knit, but grows and hangs a bit more than the lawn.  

I did quite a few sit / stand / posture check / modesty tests after finishing this garment, and only made one adjustment to the pattern. I found that although everything hung quite nicely when standing, the neckline gaped just a tad more than I was comfortable with when sitting! I did NOT want to spend my night worrying about accidentally flashing someone, so I took up a bit of fabric in the shoulder seams. From the neckline of the shoulder seam, I took in ⅝” on either side of the seam (so a total of 1¼”) and graded that down to nothing about 2” from the neckline. This pulled the neckline up just enough that I would not lose the intended effect of the very deep V, but also fit it to my chest enough that nothing was escaping without my knowledge!

Despite the delicate vibe that this dress gives off, this bad boy can hold up to quite a bit! This dress has been tested and approved for eating a big, delicious dinner, getting my groove on in the middle of the dance floor, and seeing off a lovely bride and groom in the absolute pouring down rain. I may even consider breaking my own one dress for every wedding rule in order to show this one off again!!

As you can tell, yet again, I am in love with this pattern. I’d certainly say that this dress was well worth the cost – at $4.98/yd, the 3 yards of fabric I used for this dress cost a whopping $14.94. I got the pattern on sale at JoAnn for $4.99, and at 3 separate uses that breaks down to about $1.66 per dress. So at a grand total of $16.60, I think this is QUITE the steal of a make! I can pretty much guarantee I won’t ever find a wedding appropriate dress that fits me so well, in such a lovely fabric, at any similar price!

Dress: Pins & Pinot – Handmade by Me!
Fabric: At the Arboretum Sage Floral Blousewear Crepe – LA Finch Fabrics (now sold out)
Pattern: Vogue 9253 

• XX Elizabeth