Mainly I want to create a type of baby doll dress where the skirt fans out and makes the dress almost balloon shaped at the bottom. This dress shape is mainly seen in the first two images. However, I would still like it to have the same sort of flow that the dress in the third image has. In the sketch/mood board I included I go through some of the aspects I would like the garment to have and some details that still need to be worked through.
For my full garment, I would want to do a sort of sundress or top/skirt combo that has some kind of accessory at the back and with a cutout around the lower back. The first image shows this as a full dress, but it could also work as a top and skirt. I want the waist to be cinched or at least close fitting. The bottom/skirt part could be pleated and maybe slightly flared out, and ending above the knee. The second image shows the front for this particular example, but I’m not a big fan of it. The 3rd and 4th images show another example, but this time with the front having a straighter cut at the top, which I prefer.
I’m not entirely sure yet what pattern I want on the dress, but right now I would want a focus on a brighter color, maybe lilac.
I originally just wanted to make a skirt (layered w shorts for the knee length one), but I was worried that it wasn’t ‘complex’ enough so I’m interested in adding pockets. The colors are just temporary fill in, no idea what patterns I might use. For the top, I kind of made it up on my own and I miiiiiight not make it. But also, I feel like the top might look better on paper than made in real life haha. I was also considering an oversized layered button down, kind of like one of the images I used as inspiration.
Final sketches (left), earlier sketches (right)
I really just want to make a casual, comfortable dress that I can wear in the summertime 🙂
The dress is from Maison Margiela. I really like this almost deconstrcutive apporach of mixing a shirt with a dress.
The pictures are not very clear, so here are the adjustments made:
Front Bodice:
Decreased dart by 1/2 inch on each side of dart -> 1 inch decrease in dart width
Lowered dart height by 1/2 in.
Decreased shoulder width by 1/4 in.
Brought in 1/2 in. at chest
Back Bodice:
Decreased shoulder width by 1/4 in.
Brought in 1/2 in. at back chest
Trousers Front:
Decreased rise at top by 2.5cm
Shortened front rise by 1cm
Trousers Back:
Decreased rise at top by 2.5cm
Lowered back rise by 1cm
I think that the slopers fit better after making the adjustments. The armholes still feel a little cinched at some parts, but I think that is mostly due to small mistakes while sewing the sleeve on.
I wanted to create an inspiration board for my garment and pin down ideas that have been floating around in my head. The first tiles below were what got my mind churning about hot pink and yellow together in a pant, courtesy of Violet Chachki.
The next tiles are what inspired the idea of heart cut-outs. I also like the aesthetic of that heart shape, and that was added to potential ideas for the full garment.
Finally I found images of chaps rather than assless pants which I could use as design ideas for the actual shaping of the pants themselves. In this case, I want a slightly looser fit throughout the leg, like in the image on the left, but still want the garment to be snug around the bum. This would include the fabric that stretches down from the waistband between my cheeks to connect at my upper thigh.
With all of these images and ideas swirling, the garment coalesced. Instead of chaps, I would make assless pants. They would be a light shade of pink or brighter with goldenrod hearts all over. I am still torn between having the hearts be cut-out or having them be a different shade of the main fabric for the pant altogether. The pants would sit relatively high on my waist, have a bulky goldenrod industrial zipper in the front with a yellow button. Close fitting but not tight fit throughout the leg. Would be tight in hips, with butt area surrounded by goldenrod bias tape regardless of heart decision. Would have a strap from high waist to upper thigh to keep pants in place. Hem would hit ankle.
