The Sicily Slip Dress by Masin

I always craved a lustrous, flowy slip dress with a cowl neckline, in an animal print, snake skin specifically (…lots of criteria to fulfill, I know) but just never quite found what I had in mind (…understandably). So when I saw the Sicily slip dress by Sewing Masin on Instagram, I knew right away that this pattern could check all the boxes and more! Needless to say, I purchased the pattern within the next 3 minutes (when you know, you know…). To be able to make exactly what you want all by yourself is truly one of the most exciting part of sewing your own clothes. And I am grateful this pattern helped me just do that.

Pattern & Fabric:

This was the first PDF pattern I tried, where I printed A4 pages and taped them up together. I’d say that part may have taken longer than the actual sewing for me but it went by quickly since it felt like solving a puzzle (sort of). I may now appreciate an already printed-out pattern from the envelope; however, I also got the pdf pattern straight away once I ordered, thereby saving so much time. So there are pros and cons, which I won’t get into but for the next Sicily slip dresses (you bet there will be more!), I already have the pattern ready to go! Overall, it was a smooth process that only took me about 4 hours from printing and taping all the way to the finished garment. I am now more open to pdf patterns, for sure.

Specifically about the slip dress, Sewing Masin provides you with two views, one with skinny straps and one with wider strap, both of which are so versatile. The slip dress is also cut on the bias, which was another first for me. The instructions spelled out everything you need to know so I followed the steps and learned lots! I had no problems with the instructions throughout the whole process for view A, which is so refreshing.  

If you’d like to read more about the the Sicily slip dress pattern by Sewing Masin and/or order it, here is the link for ya:

https://www.sewingpatternsbymasin.com/sewing-patterns/sicily-slip-dress-pdf-sewing-pattern

Fabric was a viscose crepe, which has just enough drape, making it perfect for the cowl neck but it also has some nice structure to it (unlike a satin or silk that is buttery smooth), which I really love. I think my fabric choice was 100% perfection. If I were to go back, I would select the exact same fabric over and over again. So needless to say, I’m very proud of myself. (humble, I know, but I value celebrating one’s good choices). Here is a close shot of the fabric and its drape.

Modifications:

Annndd we’re at my favourite section of the post … For the modifications, I followed my inspiration, who is god’s gift to the universe, who also happens to be my best friend (in my mind), the one and only JLo (insert lots of confetti here). Yes, I am a little obsessed, rightfully so.

I have always wanted a low cut, JLo style cowl neckline dress to rock at a cocktail party while I show off my beautiful tan from the happy summer days (… now, when that cocktail party is going to be during this darn pandemic is besides the point), so I knew right away that the lowered neckline was going to be my first version of the dress. All I had to do was to shorten the height of the armholes by 1″ and make the curve rounder in order to lower the strap joint (where the strap meets the front bodice). See the pinned armholes below where I applied the modifications.

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And here is what I mean by lowered strap joints. The neckline turned out exactly how I wanted it. Bless!

If you want the same effect but with higher/more horizonal drape line (versus the deep V here) then you would need to shorten the length of the collar (strap to strap).

Another modification I did was to make the back lowered by straightening it all across. The original pattern has great coverage at the back (and the front lol) but I figured since I was not planning to wear a bra with this low neckline then I might as well make the back a straight line the way I like it. Here is how it turned out:

And of course because of all the above modifications, the strap length had to be longer by about 1 inch than what was in the pattern.

Conclusion: I will make this slip dress a 100 times more!

From all the potential with the neckline (skinny straps with higher or lower neckline) all the way to version B with wider straps, you get to make a fun party dress or a casual one for running errands while looking cute! I already have my fabric for version B and I am super stoked.

The French side seams are also another beautiful feature of this dress – the inside of my dress is just as stunning as the outside. I think if there was a contest for “the most beautiful dress you can make in the shortest amount of time”, the Sicily slip dress by Sewing Masin would win it. At least for me! I recommend this pattern to anyone who wants to wear a dress and look effortlessly chic.

And that’s a wrap. Hope you enjoyed reading my post. As always, I have attached a couple more photos of my slip dress below!

With Love,

A

xxx