PR Contest Entry: The Kardashian Knockoff dress

Last week at this time, I had just received two of the necessary fabrics in the mail to make my contest entry.  Saturday I retraced my self-drafted pattern from my red knit dress, and on Sunday I drew new style lines as per the Sears Kardashian dress style.  Monday and Tuesday were spent sewing, Wednesday was finishing details, and Thursday was the photo shoot, writing the review, and entering the review in the contest.  Whew!!!

Here is the result of a whirlwind last four days!

The original style I was copying is at left from the Kardashian dress line at Sears with my Knockoff version at right:

It's a fairly close copy.  My pattern was self-drafted.  I made modifications to the self-drafted pattern I used in my red lace knit dress from a couple of posts ago.

The red lace dress had vertical princess seamlines.  This RTW Knockoff also has vertical seamlines, but they're curvy ones as opposed to being straight.

My bra cups were self drafted from a RTW foam bra.  A seamed bra would have been easier to draft a pattern from, however, I don't own any seamed bra because I just don't like it when the seam shows through tops.  I used a Wonder Bra (I think I own at least 8 of the same style lol) with foam cups to create a paper pattern for the bra cups.  It's not an easy task, but it's not hard either.  In a month or two I will explain how I went about drafting the bra cups and the dress.  It is a process I think any Advanced Beginner sewer can tackle.


Here are a few more pics of the front:

Can't forget the back now, can I?


A few things about the dress and I have mentioned this in my review for the contest.  All of them are likes, and I have no dislikes about my dress.

1.  The design has been engineered for a 40+ body instead of a 20-something one.  What does this mean?  It's all in the details, my dears!  See how the original dress has round bra cups?  I could have made mine just like that, but I chose to draft my bra cups to come up high to the arm crease.  Trust me, it just looks better on an older body and many of my 40+ sisters will know exactly what I'm talking about :).  Even though I'm a gym rat and Eat Clean fanatic, there are some things that we just have to accept and lipo is not my thing.

2.  This relates to No. 1.  When I'm wearing a dress like this, I don't want to have to wear a bra.  Finding a bra that works with a style like this is just too darn hard.  Either the straps won't be placed right in the back, they'll slip and be seen at the front or shoulder, or the front bridge of the bra is too high for the low V of the dress.  I engineered the dress to be snug, the bra cups giving me support, good coverage, and lift just like my original Wonder Bras.  In addition, when I made the cups I used black spacer which can be purchased from Spandex House in NYC.  Two layers of spacer were used for each cup because I felt this was more in line with the thickness of a Wonder Bra with the spacer being covered with fashion fabric.

3.  Ahhh...I love my centered zip!  I loathe invisible zips on snug/close-fitting garments.  They just don't work.  I have two daughters that can break a RTW invisible zip in record time, and they've done just that.  I HATE redoing broken zippers and can't understand why so many manufacturers use invisible zips.  Let's just say they haven't met my daughters.  I'm betting that if every female returned garments to stores that had broken invisible zips, maybe more centered zips would be used.  That's my theory and I'm sticking to it!  :)

4.  My fabric.  I love the blue leopard print.  I can't remember exactly where I purchased it (either Spandex House, Spandex World, or Fabric.com), but I love it.  The black panels are cotton lycra purchased from Spandex House in NYC.  It's a nice weight, not beefy, not thin, just right.

 5.  Let's talk cost.  Could I have afforded the original which is on sale at $59 on the Sears website?  Of course!  But that's not the point.  I wanted that dress, but I wanted a fit that molded to my figure, not to the 21-year old fit model.  Would an off-the-rack garment fit me just as well?  No.  Maybe the bra cups would gape, I'm sure there would be a few things I could pick out that wouldn't fit me just right.  My version gives me a custom fit at a rock bottom price of $12-$15 and that includes the thread and zipper in addition to the material.  I actually have enough material to make a second, identical dress.

Which leads me to another question my hubby asked me:  "Why don't you just buy the dress?  It's only $60!"  Well, what fun would that be?!?!  We garment sewers like the challenge of recreating RTW that fits like a glove.  It's a tremendously rewarding, nerdy activity to be able to construct a self-drafted pattern to one's measurements, pick out fave fabric combos, tweak fit in fabric, and produce a result that would fit better than RTW and flatter a body of my age group. 

Believe it or not, the hardest part of making this dress was tweaking the fit with curvy seamlines that intersect with other seamlines.  Also, I work with 1" seam allowances to be able to easily tweak the fit, and the seam allowances would get in the way of the seams with all this flopping around of seam allowances on the inside of the dress.  Frequently I had to double and triple check to make sure I was adjusting the correct seamline lol.  The seam allowances were eventually trimmed down, but it was a little bit of a challenge at times during the fitting process.

So there you go!  My RTW Knockoff entry for the PR Contest.  I now understand why this contest is a fave among several PR members.  The entries are so good that it raises the bar for sewing, fit, and style.  When that happens, it pushes us to do our best work and be able to showcase our efforts.  The contest gallery does not disappoint!  I am amazed at the beautiful knockoffs created by very talented seamstresses.  Would I like to win?  Absolutely :) !!!  However, every contest entry is a winner because of how high the bar has been set high for this contest.  Every entrant rose to the occasion and produced awesome garments, and I'm still in awe of the amazing work.  I thank every entrant who made me work hard to produce a garment worthy of entering into this contest.  Hats off to this incredible crew!

It's Official!

I've entered!  :)

Will I finish on time?  We'll see.  3. More. Days....

BTW, I found a great link on Geni's blog.  It's for the Fabulous 40+ group.  And what a group we are!  :)

Hey Kardashian sisters...

I'm not fattening your wallet, but I'm keeping mine well padded!  I love some of the dresses in your Sears Kardashian line, but I'm NOT going to pay for them :) .

Instead, I created a knockoff dress in virtually the same style in a beautiful red lace on nude stretch lining.  See here:

And you know what?  It fits better than any garment I could purchase off the rack.  When I saw it in the store last May, the cost of the dress was about $60 or $70 on sale.  That's certainly not going to break my budget, but my inner snotty seamstress said, "I can make that same style, and make it better!"  It fits me to a tee and molds to MY curves.  Not the curves of the standard fit model for the K-line of Sears dresses.  Total price of my dress?  Let's see.  Stretch lace and stretch lining were purchased from Spandex House in NYC.  The amount of fabric used for the dress is about $20.  Thread and zipper?  About $4.  Total cost is $24.  My next version will be about $14 due to some drafting changes.

Here are back and side views:

Believe it or not, this was a "proof" garment.  I hesitate to use the term muslin or test garment because those evoke images or a mindset of a garment not meant to be worn except for fitting purposes.  Therefore, I call it a proof.  I drafted the garment to my exact measurements, felt pretty sure I got it right, then went about creating the dress to prove it fit, and subsequently created my "proof" garment.

Here are a few other views.  

And last but not least, a few movement pics.  Let's be realistic.  Movement produces a bit of wrinkles in a fitted garment.  This one is no exception.  The pics give an accurate view of how the dress is worn in real-world situation.  So yes, if you sit down and then stand up, you will have to re-adjust the dress.



I started this dress last May.  I created the pattern, and let it sit.  I sewed a little in June, then in July with bits of time I had available to me during the summer.  One of the things that took a while was handstitching the stretch lace to the stretch lining which served as the underlining.  There are 10 vertical seams on the dress so this process was not exactly what I would dub speedy.  I must have stitched up the dress at the end of the July because I referenced back to this post  about my feline sewing assistants and was still doing the tedious handstitching at that point.  From that point on it sat in my sewing cart as a UFO until I pulled it out in January resolving to get it done.

My dress was self drafted, and I did not use any commercial pattern for the design.  At this time, I'm not going to post how it was drafted because I want to test it out a few more times.  Right now I'm reworking the pattern and taking lots of pics to illustrate some of the steps.  I guess the best way to test it out is to use another body and draft the pattern based on those measurements.  I know my own body so it's easy.  Working it out on someone else's, maybe a few other bodies, is a good pattern proof.

But as for this dress, my first "proof" of a self-drafted pattern, I think it was a success.  It fits, it's flattering, and it's exactly what I envisioned it to be.  And I think my daughter is eager to get her hands on this dress for one of her college events.  I know there will be quite a few more versions yet to be made from this pattern. 

This one's LONG overdue!

Sometimes we get very busy with life, or simply life gets busy with us.  Such was the case with my leopard print skirt in this post.  I made it over three years ago, then was involved in a car accident, and this skirt was folded up and put away for a while.  I almost forgot I had it!  I was in no mood nor state of mind to review it three years ago, but that was then and this is now.

Here is my simple, self-drafted leopard print skirt made from a fabric remnant from another project I can't quite remember.  It must have been for my daughter, maybe for Christmas gifts for her friends.

There was a reason I decided to talk about this skirt.  A few weeks ago I pinned an outfit I saw on Pinterest to my Favorite Looks folder.  The girl had on a denim jacket, white tank, and leopard-print skirt, and then I thought to myself, "Hey!  I have all three of those pieces!"  An outfit was born!

Here are some more pics from various angles:

 And I had to include the traditional "hands on hips" pose for PR members.  Ha, ha, ha ;) .


One of the things I really like about this skirt is the peekaboo hemline.  If you look closely at the hem in the pic at the top of this post, you will see the underskirt (made out of Bemberg rayon/lining fabric) is about 2 1/2" (or thereabouts) shorter than the sheer overskirt.  I did that on purpose when I made it, probably because I saw some skirt like that on the Internet.  Both pieces are joined together at the waistline, a casing was added, and some elastic was sandwiched between the two layers.

Simple.  Fast.  Sewing.  No thinking required.  Easy peasy.  Make in the morning, wear it at night kind of skirt.  As for the fabric, I know I purchased the Bemberg online many years ago.  The sheer leopard print fabric was purchased from...Walmart.   Yes, I did say that lol.  Believe it or not, my closest Walmart has some really nice fabric with an large selection of prom fabrics with matching netting.  Definitely not the highest quality by any means, but nice enough to make a decent project.  Like I said, this was leftover material, probably from fashion scarves for my daughter's friends.

Here is a closeup of the rolled hem as well as elastic casing:
 

 Off to work on pattern reviews, and hopefully 2013 will produce more blog writing about my sewing projects than 2011 and 2012.  Cheers, and Happy Sewing!

Lots of New Stuff!

Boring post because there are no pics today.  However, I've been very busy and my machines have been smokin'!  First off, I made a quickie, no-pattern-needed knit top from the Threads website.  I became a Threads Insider last month and have been checking things out here and there and am very interested in reducing my stash.  Thus, my vast knit stash has been reduced by at least yard.  I know, I know, just a yard.  But every little bit helps.

Second, I'm halfway through making a dress for myself from my previous post on my daughter's McCalls black LBD.  She liked it and took it back to college .  It was a little short for me though.  Again, using up some stash yardage of a beautiful blue and black shiny brocade purchased from the first PR Weekend I attended.  About 2007, I think.  

And finally, a quick knit top from my Textile Studio TNT pattern that I have morphed so many different ways.  I used a knit purchased from Kashi at Metro Textiles from PR Weekend last May. 

Pics are coming.  I'm just so busy.  Also working on four pillows for my daughter's two littles in her sorority this semester.  Making two more for my niece (also in the same sorority) that is also taking on two littles.  The pillows will have appliqued greek letters on them and the names possibly embroidered.  I'm still waiting on that directive from my daughter.   I asked my daughter what do you call two littles in the same family line because I've never heard of taking two.  She responded, (a duh on my part) "They're called twins."  How cute!  She also requested two pink, fleece embroidered sorority hats--another stash reducer. 

Must get going.  Lots to do and so little time.

McCalls 6460

Let's just say I love this dress!  So much so that I'm going to make one for myself.  I'm modeling the one made for my oldest daughter who always needs something for her sorority functions.  It's her second LBD in that many months.  The first was reviewed a few weeks ago on my blog, McCalls 6111.

My full review of this pattern can be found at PR.  It's a dress that you really want to read all the reviews, google for information before you ever lay a scissors to your fabric.  There are some issues, but none that can't be worked out beforehand.  Doing so will create a beautiful dress with a beautiful fit.  My review includes all the particulars including fit issues I encountered as well as all my alterations. 

Still deciding...do bloggers want to see the full review on blogs?  Some do, some don't, and I haven't been blogging a while so I just decide to keep my full, detailed reviews on PR.  Please let me know.

And now, without further adieu, here is McCalls 6460:

Swing Jacket is a Simplicity Retro pattern, leather purse with custom-made handle was created from the book, Vintage Bags, and a reminder to never arch back for a posterior shot.  My poor satin backed crepe started puddling on me :( .  Otherwise it was looking pretty good.

Analysis: Strapless Dresses

This is a post I've been wanting to discuss on another one of my blogs but I'm doing it on this one because there is a purpose for it.  I'm going to refer back to this when I do an upcoming dress review.

I have an issue with the fit of strapless dresses.  Over the past three years I've been looking at prom gowns, prom dress photos, have gone to several prom-picture taking opportunities, and I see the same thing popping up time and time again.  It's when women of various ages wear a strapless dress that isn't quite right.  It's off in proportion to their upper body as if it's pulling down their boobs or the dress just look low and not in a flattering way.  Often this look is paired with (what I dub) "chicken wings".  I tell girls when I alter their prom dresses about "chicken wings".  This is when the strapless dress they love so much feels like it's falling down, and they are constantly using their hands to pull up the side/upper top edges of the strapless dress.  You can spot these girls instantly because they pull their dresses up every minute.  I've even seen prom videos of girls doing chicken wings while standing in line for whatever or dancing on the floor. 

Of course, chicken wings are also due to the interior construction of the dress.  When a strapless dress isn't properly anchored at the waist, there are going to be issues like this.  Many a dress is altered with no thought to a waist stay and the top edge isn't designed to hold up the entire dress.  The anchoring is at our mid sections.  This I can't help them with if I'm not the one altering their dresses.

Here is an example of what I'm talking about with a strapless dress edge that is too low:

This dress appears to be pulling her boobs down.  It's simply pulling everything that's in its way south, and I just want to run over and pull it up myself.

Here's another one, take notice of the pink dress:

Miss Pink is not standing up straight either.  However, it's not entirely her fault.  I guarantee you though, if she was standing up straight the dress would be even lower on her body.  I later learned her zipper broke the day of the prom and the back was held together with pins.  Of all the things my daughter used to volunteer me for, why did she not ask me to help this poor girl!  She had a terrible case of the "chicken wings" that day.  However, I noticed right away that the dress just didn't look right.  Too much length in the chest area with a strapless dress that falls too low on her torso.  It simply looks..off, as if the proportion isn't quite right.  And IMO, it's not.

Now look at the girl in the grey.  It's acceptable.  And the girl in the green, she's got it right.  I watched these girls.  Watched them move and go about their business for almost an hour in these dresses.  Now look at them 45 minutes later in front of their limo bus.  Miss Pink is still noticeably low but her shoulders are rolled forward which is actually de-emphasizing the visual issue.  Miss Grey is amost ready to pop out of her dress (other pictures of her looked like she was going to experience dangerous exposure), and Miss Green is still perfect.

You could argue the point and say it's just me.  Perhaps.  But I've asked my daughters and they concur with my assessments of various strapless dresses on a number of girls.  Some do it right, some are so so, and some just are way off.

What I think is working here is the top edge in relation to the armpit and chest.  Miss Green and Miss Grey get it right.  The top edge is not only closer to their armpit crease, the cup edges come up higher to encase the entire breast.  It's makes a noticeable visual difference. Miss Grey's problem is she's got good, ample assets which works 20% of the time in this dress.  If she could stay still, more specifically if boobs could stay still the other 80% of the time, the dress would be more flattering on her.  (What some of us would do to be that well endowed though :) .

Miss Green really got it right.  I have other pics of her and her strapless dress looks good in every shot.  It's in good proportion, it's fitted with good support, and the top edges are close, but not cutting into her arm crease.  The dress simply is not moving her body parts south.

I leave you with one of my fave fashion icons.  Usually good 'ol Grace gets it right.  But here are two pics one of which I feel is done right, the other is just...off.  

Done right:

And pulling everything south.  Gosh it makes her torso look abnormally long.  But darn!  She's still so beautiful. 

Till next time when I come back to readdress this post in a pattern review!