Laura’s Haut Vol Dress

I am writing this currently wearing a big jumper, I am still firmly holding out for some nice, warm weather to get my gams out! That means all I want to make are cute twirly dresses.

It doesn’t need saying that the Luxury fabric this month is utterly gorgeous! I love Lise Tailor’s designs and I feel that this one really epitomises French romanticism with the soft peachy colours and beautiful pops of cobalt blue. With it being such a light base colour, it is not completely opaque, but with a loose blouson style you can get away with not lining it (like I won’t be!).

The quality is sublime. It has a perfect weight that is wonderfully drapey but not super thin. I had to make the most of it and make a beautiful dress in a chic French style.

I have never made a Maison Fauve pattern before, but I was absolutely smitten with the new La Piscine collection. Everything about the styling had me swooning after every piece, but the Haut Vol dress was the pièce de resistance that cinched my decision to make up in this month’s fabric. The silhouette is a match made in heaven with the blousy style top, a nipped-in, relaxed waist and a skirt made for dancing!

Now, this is foremost a French pattern. Each page on the instruction booklet is split into two: French and English, with illustrations. I found the instructions a little tricky to fully follow at times, but I found the illustrations guided me through most of it with relative ease.

There is also a YouTube video that takes you through the full making process. Again, this is in French, but can turn on English subtitles. As a visual learner, I found this video a really helpful aid. Maison Fauve do these videos for all their patterns, which is amazing for an indie business.

All-together, the pattern was a breeze to make and really enjoyable to sew. There are loads of gorgeous details; I especially love the keyhole opening at the bust and the over-extended yokes at the shoulders.

The yokes are finished neatly with the burrito method – this is where the video was worth its weight in gold as I’ve never done this where the neckline is already sewn.

It does advise to interface both sides of the yokes, but I think my usual interfacing may have been a little too heavy as it got quite bulky when finishing the armholes with the bias binding. Next time I’ll either only interface one side or use lighter-weight interfacing.

There are lovely subtle areas of gathering around the waist and shoulders that bring volume but no bulk to the bodice. There are also inverted box pleats on the skirt front that just add to the twirlability of this beautifully designed dress.

The pattern does advise to install an invisible zip in one of the side seams. I found that I could get the dress on and off very easily without it so I skipped this step. I am not about to create unnecessary work for myself! Although I think I would probably size down next time as it feels a bit big, and I prefer a bit more definition on my waist if I didn’t wear a belt.

But that aside, I feel so elegant wearing this dress. It feels like I need to be going to a fancy garden party: sipping Pimms and eating cucumber sandwiches.