Sunday, March 24, 2013

Ruffled Marc Jacobs Knit Dress

Maybe ruffle knits are over, so of course it's time for me to get some and make a dress! I don't plan it this way, it just seems to happen.

My mom took me for a birthday shop at Waechter's, which is always a treat. This fabric doesn't seem to have made it to their website yet, but it is a black and white ruffled knit from Marc Jacobs. Some of the ruffled knits I've seen in both garments and as yardage have been very flimsy and delicate. The combination of the neutral color scheme with the texture of the ruffles, plus the nice quality, drew me to this ruffle knit particularly.

Although I love all the ways designers and home sewers have been playing with stripes, I thought it would be best to keep the style simple for this dress. I wish I could have made it a straight tube, with the hem a straight line, but that geometry doesn't suit my figure one bit! So the bodice is straight, with the skirt portion slightly flared.



I had to puzzle over the best way to finish the neckline for some time (turn and topstitch? fold over elastic? black knit binding?) to finally hit on the most obvious solution--use a strip of the black ruffle fabric. I'm glad I didn't introduce another element or a line of stitching over the ruffles at the neck edge; this treatment looks natural and clean.

The weather hasn't been warm enough yet to wear this dress. I need to take it for a test drive to really know how I like it, but I think it will be a good summer staple. 

10 comments:

  1. A lovely dress! I have not yet purchased any ripple knits. I am wary of any fabric that adds bulk, but this dress doesn't look "bulky" at all!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. Thanks, shams! When I worked in a fabric store that did alterations, I saw several women with varying figures in these dresses and they all looked good. It must be that the texture of the ruffles keeps the eye moving while smoothing out the texture of the body underneath. Lumps and bumps are not noticeable, yay!

      Delete
  2. The dress looks amazing on you! Maybe it is time for me to delve into my ruffle knit that I keep passing over in my stash....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, lolitapatterns--don't wait any longer, try it out!

      Delete
  3. I really love this dress and think you will get tons of wear out of it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a clever idea to use one of the ruffles to finish the neckline! I like the simple lines of the dress. It doesn't compete with the fabric. Very flattering!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love this dress! Like you I am finally sewing some ruffle knit, well not yet but I bought some. I love Waechters!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lovely dress! Great idea to use a ruffle strip around the neckline.

    ReplyDelete