Viva Las Vegas! - Decades of Style Siren Sundress

This past weekend was a special one.  It was my eldest sister’s birthday, and the three sisters, sewchica mama and one of my nieces all descended on Las Vegas to celebrate!  Viva Las Vegas!

Because it was nearly 90 degrees outside and because I have a very indulgent and patient big sister, I got to wear and get photographed in my last make of the summer, Decades of Style’s Siren Sundress in "Flamingo Hotel" fabric by Nicole Miller for Joann's.

  We just couldn’t resist heading to the Flamingo Hotel for a photo op.  

And wouldn’t you know it, they didn’t disappoint – they’ve got a live flamingo habitat! 

It wasn’t quite pushing and shoving to get in front, but we did have to wait our turn several times.  I also had to crop out people who just didn’t understand the importance of blog photos!  Who knew that others love flamingos as much as I do!

Back view with flamingo gawkers cropped out of the shot.

I also couldn’t resist the flamingo swag!

A few notes about the dress.  As others have mentioned, there is an issue with gaping at the neckline, and it’s hard to make a muslin of this dress to test the fit.  The long straps are what you pull over your shoulders and criss cross in the back then tie around your waist in the front to secure it.  I didn’t realize it, but it does make a difference with the skirt attached.  Since I didn’t know this going in initially, I just muslined the top, thinking it would show any fit issues, but it did not.  I guess this dress is technically a wearable muslin.

To remedy the gaping post cutting, I pulled in the neckline ends of the bodice fronts where they meet the skirt.  I had to pull in about 1 ½ inches, but you can see in the picture below that there is still some gaping on my left side.  If I were doing this from the beginning, I would take a dart out of the center fronts of the bodice pattern to correct the fit, then proceed with cutting.  Since it’s too late for that, I will go in and put a stay of clear elastic at the neckline to cinch this in a little more.  I think this will help a lot.

Regarding the fabric, it was a little slippery to sew since it’s a silky polyester with a little stretch in it.  I lined the bodice and skirt with some stretch cotton purchased in the NYC garment district.  It’s just a little heavy for this make, but I think it works okay.

Close up of this fun fabric!

Overall, it’s a fun dress to wear, and I look forward to perfecting the fit next spring.  For now, I’m on to tackle my fall sewing list!  It’s getting chilly in NYC.

Hasta pronto!