Saturday 21 June 2014

Share In Style "Gold" - Turquoise & Gold Assam Tea Dress

Golden sunshine in the morning - perfect for my dress with golden accents

In my previous post I wrote about the "Share In Style" project I was invited to by dear Rosy. I wanted something Asian or Oriental inspired. The lanterns and flowers on my fabric looked somehow like that, and the name of the fabric (printed on the selvage) said something like "Geisha". In my previous post you can see the golden accents on the fabric much better.



My pattern, Simplicity 4087 from 1952, was till in factory folds that came in a rather large size 20, but I though it would be easier to downgrade it slightly than to enlarge it. (Wrong - I'm not good at adjusting patterns, neither this or the other way.) The oblique wrap front and the collar remind slightly of Asian dresses with frog closures and mandarin collars, but I didn't want the dress to look too much like a Chinese cheongsam. Now it's a rather "Oriental" dress in tea dress length.

I should NOT cut my fabrics in the late evening after a hard work's day... I made a small mistake, but I guess most people will not notice. :-) In the end, I even like it better this way.




I made the facings of bodice and skirt and the side pockets in a contrasting colour, and that the facings would just show a tiny bit. I love this tiny detail.




But I didn't have any matching buttons. I have a lot of buttons, but they had either the wrong colour or the wrong size. I decided not to lose too much time searching around and make some fabric covered buttons instead. You can't go wrong with them. 100% matching. Doing this, I thought I could make a fabric covered belt buckle as well, as I knew I didn't have a matching one. To be honest, I didn't wear belts very often when I was younger, but they are an absolute must when it comes to vintage dresses! And this one is even reversible! While I was looking through my buttons I found a pack of turquoise seam binding from the 1950s - and in the perfect colour.



The shoes are authentic ballerinas (if there is such a thing like "authentic" ballerinas...), made by Porselli in Milan. They also make the ballet shoes for the dancers at the famous La Scala opera house which is right next to their shop. (And they also have tutus for little girls and all that stuff that makes you want to dance...) However, today I wished I had bought a golden pair as well...

I chose a golden tan vintage hat and goldtone vintage earrings made from brass. They also have a small amber rhinestone that looks lovely with the hat and the golden accents on the fabric. In the end I forgot to take my purse with me for the pictures... But I had a lot of golden morning sunshine!


Yes, side seam pockets! I had to overcome my phobia...


Just as a footnote: the flags on the pole are from Switzerland (I'm Swiss) and Italy (my husband is Italian). Mostly it's the Swiss flag only. My husband is insisting on doing that, even though he lives here as a foreigner. The night before, there were two games for the world championship in football (soccer), and both Italy and Switzerland played. (Haha, and both lost...)



I should have "photoshopped" the wrinkles... ;-)

I got my dress finished very late somewhere between Friday and Saturday. Well, it WAS Saturday already, but it was worth working late. I definitely will make and wear more dresses again.

I love the traditional afternoon tea as it's custom in many countries, especially in GB. And I love tea! So, now I'm just waiting for an invitation to an afternoon tea. :-)



And here are the pictures of what the lovely and talented Rosy made for the "Share In Style". Isn't that dress wonderful? Just a golden ray of sunshine on a wonderful sunny day. I love the fabric that has a vintage vibe! She is very photogenic and is blessed with beautiful locations on her Spanish island to take those marvelous pictures. Isn't that gorgeous?






I love the buttons!


Rosy created this lovely collage of both of us in a similar pose with our dresses. Thanks! Of course she does much better, I guess she has far more experience than me - I usually get embarrassed when being photographed, and it will take some time to get used to pose in a decent way without making funny faces.


Pattern: Simplicity 4087 (size 20, adjusted)
Fabric: true vintage cotton print by Avon, "Geisha"
Belt buckle: upcycled vintage fabric covered buckle
Hat: vintage hat bought on Ebay
Earrings: true vintage screw-backs bought on Etsy
Shoes: Porselli, Milan

The dress is worn with a petticoat.

Photography by my husband

bbbb

28 comments:

  1. Both you and Rosy have such awesome looks, I love your headband too, and the yellow/gold accents in Rosy's frock is amazing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! The headband was not made by me, I wanted to make one in gold or from a scrap of fabric, but my daughter got sick with the chicken pox, so I ran out of time a little bit... :-) I don't like too much gold, but I love golden accents. Rosy's dress has an awesome fabric, and the buttons are lovely too.

      Delete
  2. Did you make your own dress?? It´s amazing!! I really love it. I want to learn to sew my own clothes!!
    Carmen Blasco

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Carmen! Yes, I love sewing, I love vintage patterns/dresses. It's very difficult to find clothes off the shelf that fit and suit me, so I'm happy I can create my own things to wear. :-)

      Delete
  3. this dress is absolutely adorable. i love the colours .. the head piece is wonderful, too i would wear it right away.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the headpiece too, and I have the same again in a different shade of tan/brown. It's from the 1950s. It had a netting that unfortunately was brittle and broken in many sports, so I removed it. Maybe I will add another one later.

      Thank you for your kind words!

      Delete
  4. I commented to you by private but publicly I mean it too ... You're amazing, dear Doris! This experience has been great and very funny, LOVE your style, LOVE your wardrobe and LOVE your creativity!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I replied earlier, but somehow my response was eaten by the system... :-(

      It was such fun to join you to this "Share In Style", even though it was quite a challenge to finish in time with all the things going on with the family and the household. But I'm very happy I made it, and I will certainly wear this dress very soon to some special occasion. Thanks again for your support and your inspiration!

      Delete
  5. I love your style and your fantastic dress. I'm now following you. Kisses.
    http://www.solaanteelespejo.blogspot.com.es/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, and welcome to my blog! I'm happy to see you here.

      Delete
  6. Ohhhhhhh its so lovely!!!!! this dress and this fabric. Are a dream for me!!! and your hat.....amazing look!! And Rosy is a sweet lady too! kissssssssssssssssssss

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! I am very happy, and without Rosy's invitation I probably would never have dared to make a dress of this fabric. I guess I'm the only vintage sewer/lover in my region, and as I usually get a lot of strange looks, it always need some courage to wear dresses like that.

      Delete
  7. I hopped over from Sacramento's blog to better see your lovely, lovely dress. The off center/angled buttons are just the thing I've been looking for in a dress pattern! It just adds so much interest to a simple dress. Of course your fabric choice bans anyone from calling your dress simple. No, it is best described as darling, unique, and of course gorgeous!

    www.dressupnotdown.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your kind comment. The pattern as such is rather simple, but you're so right, the oblique wrap front adds a lot to it. The fabric definitely called for such a pattern, and I'm satisfied with my choice. And I really have a weakness for wrap dresses/tops!

      Delete
  8. This is such a lovely dress! I love the fabric! Well done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Anthea! I am especially proud that I made this dress in a rather short time, despite the kids and the household. I used to wear a lot of turquoise when I was younger, but I guess I will have to get used again to this colour.

      Delete
  9. danke fĂ¼r deinen lieben kommentar!
    oh, eine schweizerin! wäre ich nicht so von der schönheit deines outfits geblended gewesen, hätte ich auch die schweizer flagge im hintergrund wehen sehen können ... ;)
    ich mag die schweizer sehr gerne, und das sage ich nicht nur weil ich seit diesem jahr bei einer schweizer firma arbeite ... und wahnsinnig nette kollegen dort sitzen habe. :)

    so am donnerstag mĂ¼ssen dann mein mann und ich uns Ă¼berlegen welche flaggge wir zum spiel hissen: die deutsche oder die amerikanische ... hahaha. alle 2 jahre werde auhc ich zum fuĂŸball freund...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Schön dass Du hier bist und danke fĂ¼r Deinen lieben Kommentar. Hehe, viele Schweizer tun sich schwer mit ihren Nachbarn im Norden, ich wohne etwa 5 Autominuten vom Rhein und somit der Grenze entfernt und habe eigentlich kein Problem mit dem "grossen Kanton", wie wir Deutschland gelegentlich nennen. Wir haben einige gemeinsame CharakterzĂ¼ge, und es gibt auf beiden Seiten der Grenze nette (und weniger nette) Zeitgenossen. Ist ja Ă¼berall so, oder? :-) Bei uns lässt sich das Thema Fussball einfach nicht vermeiden, mit einem italienischen Mann schon gar nicht.

      FĂ¼r mich ist es einfach nur toll, Ă¼berall in der Welt Menschen zu kennen, die meine Interessen teilen und die mich inspirieren!

      Delete
  10. Dear Doris, your dress is perfection from the print to the shape and I WANT it, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
    so wonderfullllllllllllllllll
    Thank you for joining the Share-in-Style family
    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much for your sweet words, I really enjoyed being part of this experience with so many lovely people. Hope to be back again from time to time.

      Delete
  11. How I envy someone as talented as you are! What a lovely dress. The pattern is just beautiful and the cut is so feminine. I can't believe you made that from a pattern!
    Thank you so much for visiting my blog. I hope you'll visit often ;-)

    Alicia
    spashionista.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I have been sewing from Burda patterns when I was a teenage girl, and I' making lots of clothes for (my) kids, and I couldn't live without!

      I will certainly come back to your blog!

      Delete
  12. This dress is absolutely adorable - you look like you stepped out of a 50s movie, Grace Kelly herself. :) And never photoshop your gorgeous face! :) xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your compliment is so nice, thanks! I adore Grace Kelly's style, even though she could wear that I will never be able to, but I'm happy there is plenty of inspiration from those eras.

      Thanks for visiting my blog!

      Delete
  13. I love the crossover front on your dress, along with the colour and all the minute details that have gone into your post. Well done on such a stylish outfit!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Marguerite, thank you so much for your comment on my dress!

    ReplyDelete
  15. That's a very nice dress and it fits you perfectly!
    LG Carolin

    ReplyDelete

Your comment is much appreciated and will be published after approval, thank you.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...