Vogue 1546 dress

The moment I saw Vogue 1546 dress by Rebecca Vallance, I picked it up immediately, with no hesitations!

It was all the intricate, feminine details that drew me into this design:

• grosgrain ribbons for the necktie

• back bodice band with the exposed, separating zipper

• two-tiered, pleated skirt

• bodice darts; and

• inner ribbons for hanging (simple yet so fancy).

I fell in love with everything about this look.

Around the same time, I’d been following all the 2022 spring collections at the NYFW so I found myself inspired to make a floral springy dress. I picked up a lovely duchess satin that predominantly has white and green colours. The bright and vivid colours are on a black background, which made this fabric so versatile as an evening wear as well. The fabric material had less lustre than a typical shiny satin and had a stiffer drape, which was perfect to create all the volume I needed for the pleated skirt.

I am very selective on the print of the floral fabrics I choose, so you can see some of my other floral dresses I made with McCalls 7752, McCalls 7745 and one of my all time favourite, Vogue 9123.

The size and modifications:

As always, I made a toile for the bodice of the vogue 1546 dress and adjusted the dart placements for a perfect fit. I cut a size 6 for the bodice and graded to a size 10 at the hips. I did my routine petite size adjustments by shortening the bodice, armscye as well as the skirt and taking in from the bodice centre front and back. I also had to adjust the pleats at the back skirt in order to make a snug fit at the waist and avoid any gaping. Furthermore, I shortened the top tier/band of the skirt as the seam was sitting much lower on me compared to what you see on the pattern envelope. In terms of hacking, I followed the pattern and did not make any design modifications.

Tips:

• If you are petite, another size adjustment that I recommend you do is to bring up the back bodice band. I did not make this adjustment and found out later on in my final dress that I had room to bring up the back band by about 0.5″. It is not much noticeable if you look at my photos but this is especially important if you want to wear a strapless bra with this style and have the back band cover it.

• Following on the above point, you have to decide in the beginning if you intend to wear a strapless bra with this dress, sew in foam cups into the lining or not wear a bra. This will help you achieve that perfect fit for the bodice bust, which is very important for this design to look good. If you intend to wear a bra with this style, make sure you wear it every time you do the fittings. And if you are sewing in bra cups to the lining, try pinning them to the fabric the best you can while you do the fittings.

• I received a lot of questions on the exposed, separating zipper that I used on the back bodice band. I purchased it from my local Fabricland store. It is a YKK zipper in a gold colour that is used for jeans. I wouldn’t recommend the heavy duty separating zippers that are used for coats and jackets since they can weigh down your fabric. As for the application, the pattern booklet provides a thorough step-by-step instructions on how to shorten and apply the zipper. This was my first time applying a separating zipper and while it looked intimidating at first, I found it quite straightforward.

• 

• 

• For the skirt back, expect to adjust the pleats to fit the curve of your lower back. I think this design will look so much more flattering if you have a snug fit at the waist.

Conclusion:

In summary, vogue 1546 dress is a fully lined halter dress that entails so many beautiful, feminine features. It is the epitome of an elegant and luxurious cocktail dress for me. In fact, I have yet to see any pattern designs similar to this one so not only it challenged my sewing skills, but it also added a totally unique dress to my eveningwear wardrobe. I recommend you take the time you need to get the fit right in order to do the design justice. This will not be a quick project (at least it was not for me), a lot of care and love went into making this dress. However, I think it was worth all the efforts to create a fabulous designer look that will last me for the years to come.

I am thinking of wearing this to a friend’s wedding next spring! How exciting!

Thanks for reading this blog post! Hope you enjoyed this make as much as I did.

With love,

Ava