Leopard Print Sheath Dress Vogue 8319

Sleeveless on a February day in Illinois?

I made this dress for my daughter last November, but just was able to get a photo of it today.  Can you believe she's wearing a sleeveless dress outside in February in Illinois?  What a winter!

Vogue 8319

This is from Vogue 8319, an out-of-print pattern that I've had for a number of years.   I have always loved the lines of this design.  It looks very Jackie-O style on the cover of the pattern, so it was a bit of a stretch to make it suitable for a 21 year old to wear in 2012.  I chose a leopard print stretch sateen and lined it with a taupe polyester lining. 

Trim and neckline details

At first, when I sewed the darts together, I could see that they would be completely lost in the print.  So I went through my trim box, and found a black piping like trim with little gold accents.  I undid the darts, and inserted the trim.   The only problem with this pattern  was the neckline gaped quite a bit.  I fixed this by taking several tiny pleats around the neckline. 

Exposed Zipper

I've been seeing exposed zippers a lot in RTW, and decided that this would be a good dress to try it on.  I think it fits with the leopard fabric.  At first, I could tell that she didn't care much for it.  But after we tried it with a belt, I think that she liked it a lot more.  When it was cold out, she was wearing it with a black turtleneck underneath, black tights, and boots, which looked great.  I'm pretty sure that she's wearing it quite a bit now, so I'm happy!  I think it fits her shape and personality.

-Ann