Black and Blue Roxanne dress

Do you remember me raving about Victory Patterns' new collection? Kristiann, the brilliant mind behind these wonderful designs, was so kind to ask me if I wanted to try one and while it was a tough choice, I was too in love with the collar of the Roxanne blouse not to pick it.

My only problem was I wasn't too sure of this blouse lenght, because I feel it only looks good when paired with leggings or skinny jeans, two type of garments I fell extremely uncomfortable wearing.

Since I loved other design features like the little pocket, the back yoke and the back pleats, I decided to simply lenghten the pattern and make it into a dress.

What I did was to slash the pattern pieces at the lenghten/shorten line and extend the lines until I added about 35 cm. I must have done something wrong, though, because I didn't intend to replicate the asymmetrical hem of the original design. I don't know if the fabric just shifted while I was cutting, or it wasn't on the grain, but when I sewed the front and back pieces together, the front was significantly shorter than the back. After a few moments of swearing and head scratching, I tried it on and found out I didn't mind it at all. I quite like this lenght, actually, and although the front is a teeny tiny too short for my taste to be worn with bare legs, I'm writing you 4 days after shooting this pictures with rain pouring out my window and a temperature of 11°C, so I guess it's time to wear it with tights (YAY!).

The pattern was a pleasure to work with, it's very simple to construct and the instructions are super clear. I love the "Victory!" exclamation at the end. 

If you decide to make Roxanne yourselves, please be aware that this gorgeous pleated collar is quite bulky, and keep it in mind when you choose your fabric. I used the same IKEA cotton my Lily dress was made of, and while everything worked out great in the end, I had to grade and trim seam as much as possible and steam and press the life out of it to keep it flat and nice looking. Just FYI.

I'm pretty much in love with this dress and all of its features, it's quite edgy and eye-catching. The contrast between the bright blue and the tiny polka dots is bold but very "me".

I know in photos the dress looks better without a belt, but in real life I think I need a bit more definition at the waist, especially when I don't wear 12 cm heels like in these pictures (i.e. always).

I'm sure I'll wear my Roxanne a lot with tights and a cardigan and I really want to try and adapt the collar to other tops, just like Nettie and Lee did.