This past year I was lucky enough to attend a showing of The Love Witch, which I then immediately
added to both my amazon cart and also my \”Allie\’s Favorite Movies\” list. While the more campy aspects of the movie may or may not be to your liking, I (unsuprisingly) loved loved loved the costumes worn by Samantha Robinson, who plays Elaine, the main character and titular Love Witch. They are mostly late-60s/70s and Anna Biller, the director, made some of them herself using vintage patterns! I even bought a similar pattern to one of the costumes and intended to make it but I couldn\’t figure out how I would wear it and not look like, well, costumey.
Although Vogue 1558 is not a vintage or retro pattern, and honestly doesn\’t look much like any single dress from the movie, I think the long, pleated sleeves, midi length, and high neck give it the same feel as a lot of the 60s/70s Edwardian-ish dresses–with none of the over-the-top frills. Streamlined seventies? Yes, please. And in a knit? Even better–this dress is a dream to wear and swishes around beautifully.
The sample for this Rachel Comey dress is made in a silk jersey with an all-over print in red and shades of blue, which is gorgeous, but doesn\’t show off the interesting pleating that really makes this dress unique–I think this pattern really shines in a solid. The details at front and back waist are so flattering and y\’all know I love a raglan sleeve! I was a little nervous going into this project, since I very rarely use Vogue patterns–for some reason they\’re intimidating to me–and I\’d never made a designer Vogue pattern. In fact, it was very simple to make; if you have made other knit dresses or tees before and are confident about pleats, you can make this dress without issue. This is a size 10, one size down from my \”body measurements\” size as usual, and made without alterations besides shortening the skirt by about 4 inches (I cut off 5\” but took a shallower hem than called for). Personally, I followed the instructions to the letter, but I heard from a couple of people who even left out the zipper… make sure you use a stretchy fabric with great recovery if you go that way since you want to be able to get it over your head!
Now that I\’m feeling more confident about Vogue patterns I have my eye on some of their holiday releases–view B of this one would be gorgeous work as a top paired with a full skirt, right??–so this dress won\’t be the last Vogue pattern you see on this site! Do you have a favorite McCall Pattern Company brand? I used to wonder why they had three brands under one umbrella but I do think that Vogue, Butterick, and McCall\’s have different aesthetics… which one do you like best?
xoxo,