Vogue 1257 by Alexander McQueen in Linen

When Tany made her version of out-of-print pattern Vogue 1257, it reminded me that I have been wanting to make this dress since I bought the pattern new!  The copyright on the pattern is 1998.  I am sure I bought it a few years later at JoAnns, and I am glad I did since it can sell for quite a bit now.

The thing that kept me from making this dress years ago was the fabric - the pattern envelope shows it in a slinky silk, which was a little intimidating combined with a bias-cut dress for a new-ish sewer.  When Tany made hers, though, I was determined to make this happen.  When I looked through my fabric stash, I found this linen I bought years and years ago and decided to give it a try.  I am really happy with how the fabric and pattern paired together, even though it is quite different from the original look.

This dress is really quite simple to sew.  It is only a few pieces.  The bias-cut design provides the shape.  I had to cut off some length from the pieces due to my fabric constraints, but I don't think it is very noticeable.  I am happy with the finished length.

The biggest challenge was getting the straps just right.  I steamed and stretched them first, as suggested by Tany.  The design of this dress and the weight of my fabric choice means that one side of this dress is pulled down much more than the other.  It took some trial and error to get each strap just the right length so that the dress looks even in the end.

I am very happy with the final product here.  I would still be happy to make a silk version, especially now that I know how easy this is to sew, if the perfect fabric presents itself.