Castro Daniel - Famous Frocks: Patterns for 20 Garments Inspired by Fashion Icons

I dedicate this book to my very creative grandfather, Norman OShea. You always encouraged my creativity as a little girl, and we had many fun adventures together. I wish you were here to see my latest creative adventure, this book.

Copyright 2014 by Dolin Bliss OShea.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

constitutes a continuation of the copyright page.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.
ISBN 978-1-4521-2365-3 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4521-3044-6 (epub, mobi)

Designed by Jennifer Tolo Pierce
Photographs by Daniel Castro, unless otherwise noted
ModelsJillian Lieber, Stars Management; Alexis Hutt, Look Model Agency;
Delana Motter, Look Model Agency
ProducerKarishma Singh
Makeup ArtistPreston Nesbit
HairstylistWilliam Soriano
StylistPauline Montupet

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107
www.chroniclebooks.com

The Little Black Dress. These three words conjure up so many fashion moments, icons, and silhouettes that it is impossible to pick just one style. The idea for this book was born with the versatility of the LBD in mind: I wanted to offer a range of silhouettes and styles inspired by little black dresses worn by some of the most beloved fashion icons of past and recent decades.

In Famous Frocks: The Little Black Dress, I have chosen ten little black dresses that defined a particular era and yet are timeless in their appeal. We start with a basic dress Coco Chanel would have worn herself in the 1930s. Made from a soft and luxurious wool jersey, this dress is meant to be a blank canvas for you to accessorize and showcase your personal style. The last dress is a sexy lace number inspired by Kate Mosss seemingly effortless modern style in the early 2000s. The dresses in between cover a range of styles and moods: Joan Crawfords elegance; Ava Gardners sultry satin; Audrey Hepburns sweet, full-skirted dress from Sabrina; Grace Kellys classic dress from Rear Window; Mary Quants inimitable mod mini; Liza Minnellis simple wrap; Anjelica Hustons sophistication; and Princess Dianas crisp tailored lines.

Im an avid vintage-clothing enthusiast and collector, so writing this book was a dream come true. It was my chance to design the dresses that I want to wear and add vintage touches as nods to the ladies who wore them first. The dresses included in the book are not exact copies of iconic dresses, but my interpretation of them. As a pattern maker, I felt it was important to me to design dresses that work for different occasions and fit into the modern womans wardrobe.

For each of the ten little black dress projects, I also provide a colorful variationbecause no one can wear black all the time! So in all, there are instructions for sixteen dress projects and four separates projects. The separates are timeless basics that you can easily work into your wardrobe: a flattering A-line skirt, a slim pencil skirt, a cowl-neck top, and a basic button-back shell top.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part covers all the general information youll need to know before making the projectsbasic sewing tools; a glossary of essential terms and techniques; and a section on sizing, using patterns, and cutting the fabric. At the end of the first part is a checklist, Before You Start, which is a quick reference list of important topics that apply to every project (such as standard seam allowance). Review this list each time you begin a new project. Use this first part of the book to learn new skills, brush up on techniques you havent practiced in a while, or just for reference when you need a bit more explanation. The second part features all the instructions for the frocks and their variations. In the envelope at the front of the book, there are graded patterns for each of the ten iconic dresses. For each of the variation projects, I give instructions for revising the patterns to make the ten variations.

I hope this book will inspire you to make your own clothes and even tweak the dress designs to best reflect your style. Make Audrey proud and get started on your very own perfect little black dress!

Before making the projects in this book, you will want to have all the necessary tools on hand. This list includes all the basic tools you will need to make every project in the book. A few projects require additional tools; Ive listed those items with the individual project instructions, so be sure to check whether extra tools are needed before getting started.

Clear gridded ruler

Dressmakers carbon paper

Hand-sewing needles

Paper for tracing patterns (patternmaking paper, roll of paper for an easel, large sheets of tracing paper, or a roll of examination table paper)

Pencil

Pins

Point turner (if you dont have one, a knitting needle or chopstick will work)

Quality steam iron and ironing board

Scissorsone pair for fabric, a separate pair for paper, a small pair for trimming threads, and pinking shears (optional) for basic seam finishing

Seam ripper

Sewing machinewith a zipper foot, a buttonhole foot, and particular sewing machine needles for individual projects

Tape measure

Tracing wheel

Water-soluble fabric marker pen, tailors chalk, or dressmakers chalk pencil

This section of the book goes over some basic sewing terms, specific techniques, and some explanation of materials that are used in the various projects. The terms and techniques are listed in alphabetical order, so if you get stuck on a project or need more information, you can look it up easily.

Backstitching is used at the beginning and end of each seam you sew with your sewing machine as a way to lock the stitches in place. To backstitch at the beginning of your seam line, sew 3 to 5 stitches forward, press the reverse button on your sewing machine, and sew 3 to 5 stitches backward, then sew forward again and continue along the length of your seam. At the end of your seam, press the reverse button and sew 3 to 5 stitches backward.

Basting is a temporary row of long stitches that are used to hold pieces together and can also be used to help create gathers. Basting can be done with a sewing machine or by hand. To baste by machine, set your straight stitch length to the longest length. Then sew as usual, but do not backstitch at the beginning or end of the seam; instead leave long thread tails. To baste by hand, make long running stitches along the seam line. Dont knot your thread, but leave long thread tails at the beginning and the end. Remove the basting stitches once you have sewn the seam together permanently.

Binding is a strip of fabric that is used to finish raw edges. There are many different types of binding for varied purposes. In this book, we basically use one type of binding: binding used as a facing made with single-fold bias tape. The Mary dress on uses double-fold binding on the sleeve; see project instructions on how to make this. Using single-fold binding as a facing, the binding is not visible from the outside of the garment and there is only a line of topstitching visible from the outside. This binding is used to finish the neckline and sleeveless armholes of a couple of dresses in this book. It could also be used to hem a garment, especially if the garment has a curved hemline.