Review: Vogue 9184 | A Wear Now and Later Dress!

This is Vogue 9184. It's one of those basic Vogue patterns that you can do a lot with and that serves lots of purposes. It's a "Wear Now and Later Dress". It works now with sandals and it'll work in cooler months with tights, boots, jackets and coats. It's a simple sleeveless, fitted, slightly A-line dress that can easily work layered upon. 

When I first saw this dress, it was just "meh"... The short version on the envelope looked like it was done in a shapeless woven. I don't remember what the turning point was when I bought the pattern. It must've been me reading the fabric suggestions and seeing that a stable knit was on the list.

I picked this Mandarin Orange Lightweight Stretch Ponte Knit. Ponte knit is one of my favorite fabrics to sew. It behaves beautifully.

I cut the size 12 and graded to the 14 through the hips. I added 3" to the length. I'm pretty leggy. So after I did that, you can imagine just how high those side slits were. Very! So I had to shorten them by 3".

My seams are serged and pressed open. Here is how the inside looks.

The dress has a collar and the armholes are finished with bias tape.

Here is an inside view of the collar. It's finished with a slipstitch. I know that a lot of you absolutely abhor handstitching, but it's a necessary evil in sewing and oftentimes gives the best and cleanest finish.

Per my usual, I added interfacing to the zipper area. I will preach this each and every project with a zipper... it's necessary to do this. You might want to skip this step. But it really does make your garment look crisp and professional. And who wants a cheap looking or at the worst -- "Becky Homecky" looking wavy, wonky zipper? 

One of the biggest things about this dress is that it is lightweight ponte. It's not as "beefy" as what I'm use to. And in some aspects, it's pretty unforgiving. I had to be very thoughtful in what undergarments I picked to wear beneath it. I suggest a well-fitting t-shirt bra. It gives smooth lines front and back. And perfectly seamless underwear that won't cut into you in those fleshy/meaty places that we all have.

This dress is such a favorite. I'll be making one in black and probably winter white as well. And Mikaela has already put in requests for a couple in her size.