I can has blazer dress! The thought of using ubiquitous meme speak to celebrate something so rare makes me chuckle. Normal-heighted people won’t understand, but wearing a trendy, tailored garment in a bold print is near impossible at 6’2″. Not one retailer in the world sells a dress like this in these proportions so I had to make it myself. And as motivation to finish this dress quickly, I set a task to plan and construct this dress in under 1 week to wear to The Tall Society brunch in NYC. In a room full of powerful, towering women, this unique dress could truly be appreciated. And I truly appreciated the opportunity to meet and chat with so many incredible, tall women!
I want to make the type of clothes to wear for going places and being seen. My vision is for powerful women who are taking the stage or commanding the room. I like to communicate this confidence through colors, prints and patterns that attract attention. This jacquard fabric gave me two choices for color and print – a hot pink and copper side and a navy and purple side with copper flourishes. I bought this fabric expecting to shine and glow with the bright copper flowers, but as I felt the material and deliberated on Instagram Stories, I decided to mostly use the darker, more subdued side. Then to keep a wild side, literally, I used the bright copper for the left panel and lapel. This idea was a lot more fun and abstract than simply using the reverse on the lapel. Asymmetry is starting to emerge as a signature in my designs and I’m happy for that.
Making the dress more subdued with the colors, mid-way through constructing the blazer I worried I had designed the ultimate church lady dress. There’s a thin line between modest and matronly. Despite double darts in the back and front to shape the waist, the dress fit is quite loose. On the dance floor I could wind my hips to the music but the dress barely showed my movement. I made two fit changes to make the dress a bit younger. By adding 3/4″ length above the bust to match my bust line, I got a bit more cleavage in the dress. I also cut away 1 3/4″ from the hem to shorten the dress. After adding length to position my bust, waist, and hips at the right place along the curves, cutting the hem balanced the dress with only 2″ in extra length. Adding and then shortening may seem a bit counterintuitive for #sewingtall, but I love my long legs and never minded too much with revealing ready to wear hems. The extra 2 inches are a good compromise for a work- and- church-appropriate length that keeps me looking flirty thirty.
Without a doubt this is the most advanced garment I’ve ever sewn. I’m so glad that I gave myself a really SMART goal to finish such a challenging make in 1 week without cutting any corners. It’s fully lined, beautifully finished and made with longevity in mind. It took me nearly 30 hours to sew this dress and I can see myself wearing it for the next 30 years. Maybe then I’ll let this dress embrace its church lady destiny – with a bit of leg, of course π.
See every detail behind making this dress on my Instagram Story Highlights!
Pattern
- McCall’s M7997, View B
- Sewing Difficulty – 3/5Β
- The 14 double darts are beautiful but very time consuming.Β
- I got stuck when sewing the collar and lapel which was very angular and tricky. It took a few hours to undo stitching, hand baste all of the corners, and make certain it all lined up.
- I was very confused by the instructions for finishing the hem of the lining. I ended up checking other blazers in my closet and trying to match theΒ way they were sewn.
- Fit Difficulty – 4/5
- Since it’s loose-fitting, a normal-heighted person could probably make this dress with minimal pattern changes.
- At 6’2″ I had to add length in 3 places to each of 4 pattern pieces, plus added length in the sleeves.Β
- I will make this pattern again in a more simple fabric for casual wear.
Fabric
- Both sides of a brilliant pink, navy and copper polyester jacquard fabric from Walthamstow Market in London
- Lined with a lightweight navy blue polyester satin
Fit & Modifications
- Fabric and Color Blocking
- I used the shiny reverse side of the fabric for the left panel under the double breasted front. Instead of cutting the fabric on the fold to make mirrored pieces, I cut the panels individually so they would be identical.
- I matched the lapels to the front panels by again cutting individually to make 2 identical panels.
- To match the upper collar to the lower lapels, I had to adjust the pattern. I cut the upper collar in 2 pieces, adding 5/8″ seam allowance at the center. Again, I made 2 identical panels, careful to get the colors correct for the left and right sides.
- The under collar is made in copper side of the fabric.
- Sewing Tall Adjustments
- I added 3/4″ above the bust to match my bust line.
- I added 3/4″ at lengthen/shorten lines above the waist and lengthened the upper darts accordingly.
- I added 2 1/4″ at hip lengthen/shorten lines and lengthened the lower darts.
- Before finishing the dress I shortened at hem line by 1 3/4″
- Curves (adjustments after the muslin)
- I pinch out 1/2″ from the arm holes on the pattern to remove gaping. (I probably should have adjusted the sleeves to match, but I found a way to make it work without)
- I add 1/2″ to each of 2 back darts to take out an extra 1″ at the waist line
- Sleeves
- I added 1 1/2″ to the sleeve at the lengthen/shorten line
- Tapered in the sleeves below the elbow to take out 1 1/4″ by the wrist
- Instead of cutting destructive buttonholes in the dress, I hand-sewed snaps under the double-breasted front panel. I still need find a solution to keep the facing from pulling away from the dress front and creating a weird bubble at the seam line that shows the snaps.
- Changes for next time
- The upper back is too wide. I need to figure out a way to remove 3/4″-1 1/2″ from the center back from above the darts to the center back collar. I think I’ll use this tutorial recommendation and take out width from the sides of the back under the armholes as well as pivoting and shortening the upper back from the center outward.
Tips
- Patterns are designed so the seam lines match up but on corners the seam allowances seldom do. To match up the tricky corners of the upper collar and lapel I recommend hand basting the seam then turning it out to see that it’s been done correctly.
- See my Instagram story highlights for more information on making this dress including both methods I used to add length to suit my height.
Tutorials That Were Helpful
- If watching someone construct a blazer would be helpful, even if a different pattern, there are easy to follow tutorials by Mimi G and Kim Dave Designs on YouTube.
