ASYMMETRIC SUMMER DRESS WITH TIES | Vogue 9186 hack

You guys, the summer seems to be holding on in London, and it’s absolutely amazing! Nothing makes me happier than hot, long days and balmy summer nights. And wearing summer dresses and other delightful projects that I get to only put on a few days a year. And because I only get to enjoy them for a short time, most of my summer clothes are stored away for the majority of the year. But that’s ok, it’s even more fun to unpack the summer wardrobe and rediscover clothes you almost forgot you had.

Though sometimes there’s a downside… Things I loved last year just don’t work for me this year anymore. Sometimes I just pass them on, and sometimes I can actually be bothered to do something about them.

This is what happened to this particular dress. You might remember it from last year, the pattern is a rather peculiar asymmetric shape that I had also added a few modifications to as well. Well, when I put it on one day the other week, I just wasn’t feeling it anymore. But it’s a really lovely fabric and I quite still like the shape, it was just the elastic gathering didn’t work for me anymore, it felt really constricting.

So I kept thinking what to do. Well, this year I am a bit obsessed with big sleeves and ties (like this blouse here), so the mental jump wasn’t that difficult. Let’s add ties!! I also felt that the dress also needs pockets, I mean, there is nothing out there that can’t be improved by adding pockets, right?

I am clearly delighted with them in these pics, haha!

I’m not going to talk about the overall construction here, you can check out the original post.

However, I will jot down a few thoughts on the updates.

The pattern had pockets, but they were only meant to be inserted on one side (crazy!), so I just used that pattern piece, but on both sides.

The ties are cut on the bias and finished with an overlocked rolled hem. They are 25 cm wide, as I wanted the volume. They were gathered and sewn into the side seam. I wanted to be able to tie them both in the back and in the front, and because the wrong side would be visible, I just folded them in half, with the wrong sides together, so that’s not an issue anymore.

I took the dress out for a wearer test yesterday, to see what feels more comfortable, and also to take blog pics in a different background. I hope you are enjoying the change from my balcony and/or living room. Unfortunately, there is also a downside, which is crinkled clothes, though I did suffer for my art and stood on the tube the entire way.

So, here’s the tie in the back version:

I like that it sort of negates the volume, as it moves the big asymmetric corner towards the back and the front ends up looking very simple. I also like the ties hanging at the back.

And here is the front tie version:

And a jaunty version to the side:

Verdict:

An improvement, I think, and the ties will help control the volume and allow plays on shapes to make this an even more interesting dress. The only thing that continues to annoy me is how easily it continues to crinkle, but at least now it’s easier to iron as there is no elastic gathering.

Have a great week, everyone!

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