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A Watercolor Kimono Dress [Vogue 9253]

Hi friends!

I wore this dress ALL summer and when did I take photos of it?  Today!  Sometimes when I’ve failed to photograph something that I’ve made, I just pass on sharing it on my blog, but I love this pattern and this dress so much that I definitely had to share it, although belatedly.

Source: Vogue Patterns

The pattern for this dress is the well loved Vogue 9253 kimono style dress.  I loved this dress from the moment I saw the pattern release and just had to have it.  I have a love for kimono dresses, although I haven’t made one for a very long time.  I think the last one I made actually pre-dates this blog, it was so long ago.

One of the things that I really loved about this pattern was the black fabric used for the pattern sample.  I looked all over trying to find something similar and didn’t.  I decided to search for a black floral rayon challis instead and eventually came up on this watercolor print on eBay.  It wasn’t a tropical floral like the Vogue sample, but I love it and it works well with the design aesthetic of this dress.

I am quite modest with my dress, so there’s no way I would wear that deep-V without something underneath.  Initially, I was going to alter the neckline so that it wouldn’t dip down so far and I had even altered the bodice piece.  Versions of this pattern were already popping up by that time and I decided that I didn’t really like the look as it changed the designer’s vision too much.  The V is meant to dip down and appear like a robe and the raised neckline changes that illusion.  So I left the original bodice design and opted to wear a slip underneath (the one in these photos is a black rayon jersey knit slip).

This pattern goes up to a size 26, which is almost my size.  I did grade up the hips one size, but I probably didn’t really need to as there’s a lot of room in the skirt.  I did take a little wedge out of the back bodice as usual and added some length to the skirt which I later took off as I don’t want to trip over myself.  The pattern has a back zip and I didn’t think I would need it, so I basted the center back together to test it out and found that I could easily slip it on and off, so I sewed the back seam shut.  For a future version, I would try to cut the back on the fold, which may or may not work well with the large kimono sleeves, depending on the width/print of the fabric.

Cutting this fabric out was a real headache since the pieces are so large and long.  But that was the most difficult part of the sewing process as it really is a quick and easy dress to sew.  If I was going to wear this sans slip, I would want to adjust the shoulder seams to ensure that the neckline didn’t come open as it could probably be a little more fitted as there’s a lot of room in the bust.  As I don’t wear it like that, it’s a non-issue for me.

This is the first maxi dress that I’ve ever made or worn and I really love it.  Like I mentioned previously, I wore it all summer.  I wore it at home, I wore it out, I wore it on the beach, and I wore it as a swimsuit cover-up at the pool.  It’s pretty much the perfect summer dress for me as it’s cool, loose, flowing, and it covers me up so that there’s less of a chance that my vampire skin is going to get sunburnt.

I just love the 70’s vibe of this pattern and it has made me lust over 70’s caftans and 60’s watteau back dresses.  I even found a vintage 70’s Hawaiian cotton print this summer that I planned to make another maxi dress with, but I never got around to it…. There’s always next year! 🙂

Happy Sewing!

  • Dress:  Vogue 9253 in rayon challis, made by me
  • Shoes:  Yellow Box
  • Necklace:  BaubleBar
  • Earrings:  BaubleBar
  • Lipstick:  Besame 1965 Portrait Peach (affiliate link)

Comments

  1. As usual…..you look like a doll The style, fit and fabric are perfect for you. Even your lipstick is perfect. (I do believe that I had that color fifty(ish) years ago.

    • Thanks, Carol! If it wasn’t for being a fabric hog, I’d probably make another version and have it ready to go for summer. The color is supposed to be a match to a 1965 lipstick, so I’m glad to hear that it is! It’s my favorite for low-key everyday wear.

  2. You look fab ! Looks better on you than on the Vogue model.
    And for the vampire skin in summer, I got the same problem…Cannot find summer RTW garments with long sleeves.

  3. What a fabulous dress! The fabric is perfect and I love that you didn’t change the design lines. This is exactly how we Europeans styled this type of dress in the 70s, all year round. Long sleeved shirt underneath during winter, or a camisole in the summer.

    • Thanks, Marianne! I definitely could see this type of dress layered for winter clothing. And I’m glad that I wore it like a European! 🙂

  5. This is truly beautiful. I discovered maxi skirts and dresses over the summer and wore quite a few, but now I miss them. Is there such a thing as a warm winter maxi dress?

  6. Bloody lovely! Not your usual style as you say, but you look really beautiful in it. I do love a maxi dress, and wear them layered over long sleeved Ts even in the winter. Very useful, no leg shaving lol!

    • Thank you! I do love it and am even wearing it now! It definitely does seem like it could work in cold weather with some layering.

  7. I never would have thought of wearing something underneath! Beautiful sewing as usual! :o) You look so pretty! I don’t envy you cutting those big pieces out! LOL! I hate that too!

  9. I like it better than the fabric vogue used. Thanks for the tip about the slip. The dress is so low cut, I hesitated to buy the pattern. Your version is a perfect solution! (Why didn’t I think of that?) LOL

    • Thanks, Mary! Yes, it is far too low cut, even for me to want to wear around the house like that. But with something underneath, it’s perfect. 🙂

  11. What an amazing dress. I love this and am going to go order the pattern. It looks so fabulous on. Really, really glamorous and a bit boho. What a fabulous fabric choice too. You look really great in it. Your earrings are beautiful. Xx

    • Thanks! I bought the fabric on eBay and it was quite a while back, so I can’t see it in my purchase history. I believe it was 5 yards.

  16. This is a gorgeous dress on you! You wear this style well and the fabric is beautiful. Perfect combination of fabric and pattern

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Mrs. Hughes: A retro inspired, vintage garment sewing and plus-size dressmaking blog by Tanya Maile Hughes.