Seersucker – Costume Closet Couture

Typically, I don’t dress up for movies. However, after accepting the invitation to go see the newest “Barbie” movie with a friend, I found myself creatively stimulated by an inundating wave of online images, ranging from 1950’s style dresses to more ostentatious disco getups in the prettiest shades of pink, my favorite color. Awash with the idea of participating in a cultural phenomenon, I gave into temptation.

Margot Robbie in “Barbie” ─ Warner Brothers

It would be hypocrisy to say that I liked the movie. I absolutely loathed it ! On several occasions, I felt like walking out, but since I had paid to see the entire film, I stayed. Even the costumes were a bit of a letdown, not providing enough of a counterbalance to the cognizance that my mind was being both assaulted and liquified.
But enough of that ─ let’s move on to the clothes !

Part of what rendered my decision to dress up for the movie so effortless was the fact that I already had the fabric I needed on hand. Using an adorable pink and white stripe seersucker that had been given to me by a friend, I was in good shape to create something special ─ thank you, Miss Cindy ! One of my go-to pattern sites, Sewist.com, helped me design a 50’s inspired dress with a scoop neckline and six gore circle skirt.

After three separate muslin mock-ups, I felt the pattern had been suitably adjusted for style and comfort. Notably, I lowered the waistline seam over an inch, moved the straps inward so they wouldn’t fall off my shoulders, created a scoop neckline for the back, and adjusted the bust darts for a more pleasing angle. A fluffy petticoat and a nude pair of pumps bought off eBay completed my impromptu Barbie look.

Jewelry played a starring role in shadowing the iconic persona; I employed a mix of both real and costume pieces.

Have you ever had the back armholes gape on your sleeveless tops ? It could be that your shoulder blades are prominent, like mine. Adding a small dart at the back shoulder straps magically removed those pesky openings.

Despite the glitters and charms of my attire, Opie was not impressed.

While it was fun to dress up for a movie, I don’t think it will become a habit of mine. Opera is my passion and its intellect, complexity, and sophistication suit my norms and standards far more than the inane cinematographic “Barbie”. But at least I got a pretty dress out of it !

Toi, Toi, Toi,

Mary Martha

It may be apparent by now that I am an alliteration advocate. As much as I try to suppress my affection, there’s just something about starting a succession of words with the same alphabetical letter that tickles my fancy. Inadvertently, my new summer creation was an alliterative delight: a striped seersucker shirtdress !

Here’s how it began…

Originally purchasing this pattern to sew for a new Met production of Die Zauberflöte (which was subsequently canceled), it sat shelved, along with the yards of white chambray linen I bought for the project, without a hope except for the fact that I did very much like the pattern.

Nadine Sierra in Die Zauberflöte (Opéra National de Paris)

The idea of sewing a shirtdress never strayed too far from my mind, but it wasn’t until an issue of “Julie’s Picks” swatch club popped in the mail that the romanticized idea rose to the forefront as a planned reality. Could it have been a coincidence that the pattern suggestion for a dandy red stripe cream seersucker be none other than the McCall’s (reprinted as Butterick) shirtdress pattern I bought for the scrapped Met project ? Whether you believe in coincidences or not, I had my sign: I was making the dress !

With this pattern being a Palmer and Pletsch design with extensive fitting instructions, I spent a good week perfecting the fit with the adjustment lines on the pattern tissue. My only substantial tweak was taking out ½ inch at the shoulder blade level to eliminate a gaping armhole in the back.

I wish there would have been more fitting tips besides the most common ones because I then needed to alter the sleeve pieces to compensate for the reduced armhole length. The attempt was in vain. As a result, my sleeve cap was gathered more than I had intentioned…

But, no matter !

The dress (a combination of Views C and D) turned out in tip top fashion and gave me the feel of a 1950’s waitress/housewife. I especially love the red “jelly” buttons that appear like hard candies on the peppermint stripe cotton.

I loved nearly everything about this dress: the American made fabric, the fit, the retro vibe, the color scheme… the list goes on. And while it wasn’t imperative that its descriptors start with the same letter, the fact that my striped seersucker shirtdress was an alliterative creation was just the icing on the cake.

Toi, Toi, Toi,

Mary Martha

Tag: Seersucker

Pretty in Pink For “Barbie”

Striped Seersucker Shirtdress