Style Arc Lacey dress
Well, that was an unintentional blogging break! Do other people find that November is one of their busiest months? I have had two trips to Sewjourn in the last month, so actually have lots of new garments that need to be blogged. I’ll make a start with the Style Arc Lacey dress, sewn on my first trip.
Now, I’m going to be honest with you – when I first saw the Style Arc Lacey dress pattern I thought no way! I wore pretty much that exact same dress in apricot and white checked gauze back in 1985….and I really do try not to wear the same styles at almost 50 as I did at 17. But then I looked at the line drawing again, heard a few people mutter “it’s very Gorman-esque” (and I always laugh at comparisons to Gorman styles, as I reckon the general aesthetic is quite mid-80s), and I realised that it would be a very cool and easy to wear summer dress. So I made one after all.
I sewed size 12, my usual Style Arc size in this type of silhouette, and didn’t make any alterations. The fabric is a divine printed rayon from Rathdowne Fabrics. It comes in another colourway as well that is more pink/blue.
From the Style Arc website: Slip into the fabulous Lacey Knit Dress. It’s easy to make and easy to wear. Lacey will work with either knit or woven fabrics. Sitting on the waist, Lacey has a slightly gathered skirt with side pockets. The interesting bodice has an extended shoulder line that creates a short sleeve that can be worn straight or rolled. The bodice has clever design lines that allow directional stripes or mixed textures. FABRIC SUGGESTION: Knit, jersey, rayon or silk.
Because I sewed the dress in rayon I decided to eliminate the side pockets. I find that pockets just weigh dresses down when sewn in drapey fabrics like rayon, but I know that some people insist on pockets in everything. Well, the option is there. This was a very fast dress to sew, and most construction was on the overlocker. I’ve mostly worn it without rolling up the sleeves (for more arm coverage – I’ve also had a skin cancer removed in the past few weeks, although not from my arm, and it’s renewed my sun exposure paranoia and increased my use of SPF 50 sunscreen).
This pattern would be fun sewn up in stripes,where you could play with the stripe direction on the bodice. This is definitely not the last time you’ll see me sew this dress – as it happens, I’ve already sewn it in size 4 for Clare!
Despite being highly reminiscent of my 1985 dress, I think that it’s been modernised with the placement of the waist seam and the relative small degree of skirt gathering. It’s all those subtle tweaks that keep styles modern I suppose – whatever modern means!
I have just made this in a rayon just recently and wore it to work the other day for the first time. It was a hot day and the dress was so lovely to wear. I will make another one.
I’m sorry. It’s just a little blah I think. You have made other much nicer dresses.
Obviously just my opinion 😄
very nice Lara. I had the same reaction as you did to this style being very reminiscent of the 80s. That was my early days in the fashion industry and I made 100s of similar styles. BTW I don’t get your reference to “Gorman” – who or what is that?
Gorman is a Melbourne based clothing line http://www.gormanshop.com.au
I love it Lara – and my first thought from the thumbnail pic in Bloglovin was ‘Gorman’ – both the style and the fabric choice
I love it. Perfect fabric for it too. I’m so with you with the pockets. I’m okay with them in rayon but usually skip pockets in stretchy knit. It doesn’t work for me. I can’t wait to make my Lacey.
This may be my favorite piece that I have seen on your blog! The raised but not quite empire waistline is so flattering, just the right amount of gathering to fall gracefully over the hips, the colors are perfect with your skin tone and hair, the length is spot on, the little bit of fitting over the bust keeps it from overwhelming your shoulders, the sleeve length is just right…the neckline lies beautifully…am I gushing?? The stripe idea is really interesting and would be a fun project. The style would be great with leggings and funky short boots…you get the idea….I really like it on you. Thumbs up!
Looks very cool for summer and some great colours. A friendly warning about getting out into the sun. Not getting out in the sun without suncreen stops you getting natural Vitamin D. You need it to for many body processes. I have recently been diagnosed with osteoporosis and both the doctor and naturopath are advising to get into the sun daily and up the excercise game. BTW I have had 3 skin cancers removed and the damage was done when we were kids growing up in northern Victoria. Sorry for the lecture but I wish I had known this before menopause as that is when our bones start decreasing.
Thanks Vicki. For me it is about lesser of two evils – the skin cancers I have had removed have been SCCs and both my parents have had melanoma and I have extremely high risk skin. My GP has talked about osteoporosis prevention and vitamin D but for me in the broader scheme of things it is felt best that I keep sun exposure to a minimum. It’s sunscreen on my face in particular every day summer and winter!
Love it! And it’s got the Gorman style but is sweatshop free (so unimpressed with Gorman’s lack of transparency in their supply chain 🙁 )
I remember wearing a very similar dress in the 80’s. The dress looks fabulous on you and will be great for summer.
It looks terrific! I thought Gorman as soon as I saw the pattern release and snapped it up in the last sale – I’m wearing mine at work today (in a cotton/linen blend, perfect for the horrid heat). I think it really suits you.
That is amazing. I wish I knew how to sew.
xoxo
Bonnie