The Space Oddity Dress

I had been looking for a nice galaxy print fabric for ages. In fact, I was this close to settling for an (expensive!) print from Spoonflower that still wasn't completely what i was looking for. But then I saw this post on Me and My Polar Bear and I sort of lost it. An entire duvet cover? Very reasonably priced? I'd be lying if I said I didn't do a victory dance. Roisin from Dolly Clackett was enlisted to help me get my greedy paws on the fabric, and I love her dearly for it. The fabric is a polycotton and fairly stiff, so I thought it would be a good candidate for the infamous Simplicity 2444.

I made the dress right before our trip to London (and actually hemmed it in our hotel room) so I could wear it to the David Bowie exhibition at the V&A. So here she is, the Space Oddity Dress:

We went to the Police Box near the Earl's Court tube station to take these pictures. I felt really awkward because there were so many people around, so not too many strange poses here! Anyway, the pattern is Simplicity 2444 with a few changes. I lowered the neckline in the front a bit (I don't like how very high necklines make me look) and gave the back a really deep scoop.

The bodice fit me pretty well straight out of the envelope, I did take a bit of width out of the center front because there was some gaping. After finishing the dress I noticed I could have taken some excess out of the shoulder area as well, not sure why it didn't show in the muslin... Or maybe I just forgot to make the alteration. It irks me a little bit but it's not too noticeable.

I'm really happy I went for the version with the sash. They're cut on the bias so they have a very nice drape! I had so much of this fabric it allowed me to really play with the print placement so there wouldn't be too many repeats. In fact, I have only used about half of what I had. I foresee a giveaway in the future...

There's not that much to say about the construction of this dress. I didn't really follow the instructions since I opted for a full lining, and the whole thing is pretty straightforward anyway. The finished dress feels really comfortable and I feel pretty cool with it, especially paired with my sparkly sneakers (which are just last year's Bensimon shoes with a layer of glittery fabric paint).

Later that day I found the perfect bowtie earrings at the V&A museum shop. They really make this outfit appropriate for all space and time, don't they?

I leave you with this obligatory pose. I think this dress and me will go through a few adventures together...