What can you wear when you have a severe sun allergy on your entire decolletage but it is boiling hot outside? This dress is my answer.
A dress of many constraints
My summer was spoilt by a massive sun allergy, which affected my entire decolletage (bright red and very itchy) and lasted two months (until the middle of August). It made me realise that most of the dresses I have sewn over the past few summers are low to very low neck…
… and created a real challenge to my sewing. This summer has been one of the hottest on record in France, so wearing full-coverage was a no no. But my allergy was made much worse by exposing the area to the sun, so it absolutely had to be kept hidden. After weeks of scratching my head, I went back to Simplicty 8645 (S8645):
The pattern is of a vintage top, but knowing my obsession with dresses you know how I used it… I had made it into two dresses already (reviewed here and here).
What about omitting the scarf collar this time, to make it heatwave-friendly?
Third time is the charm
This is a bit of an unfair title, as there is nothing wrong with the previous two dresses, on the contrary. They are really pretty, easy to wear and normal summer weather appropriate. But given the scarf neck and the fact they are made from cotton poplin, they are absolutely unwearable in high heat!
So this time I chose a cotton voile fabric (my favourite ever for high temperature), I replaced the scarf neck by a matching fabric cord, and there we go!
The bodice is lined with plain blue cotton voile to finish all exposed seams nicely, but the skirt is just an unlined gathered rectangle (240 x 100cm), to keep things light and easy. I am not a big fan of gathered skirts but it works well here, as the gathers somewhat compensate the slightly see-through nature of the fabric.
In summary
- Pattern: for the bodice, Simplicity 8645 (S8645), which is a 1950’s vintage re-edited top pattern. There are 4 different top versions, I made version A but removed the Peter Pan collar and used a fabric cord instead. I shortened the top by 3cm. For the skirt I simply used one big gathered rectangle (240 x 100em). I added an invisible zip at the back.
- Sizing: size 10 for my UK 8/ FR 36/ US 2, this is my standard size for Vogue/Butterick/ McCall’s/ Simplicity patterns, despite the size chart telling me I should be a 12/14. I am an E cup and did not need an FBA, but this is often the case when the bust ease comes from gathers, they are simply more forgiving than darts on princess seams. I add to remove of bit of fabric at the top of the back though, I have recently lost a bit of weight and all my cut patterns need some sort of adjustment – very annoying.
- Changes to the pattern: see above.
- Level of difficulty: easy but a bit of patience required as the bodice is entirely lined.
- Fabric used: a lovely, super light and super soft cotton voile found on eBay.
- Likes: the perfect dress for a very hot summer.
- Dislikes: I am not 100% convinced by the fabric colour scheme.
- Conclusion: I definitely need more cotton voile dresses in my wardrobe, let me know if you come across nice prints as I find them really hard to find.
