The Pink Panther Dress

There were two 1960s events in the summer:  Costume College and Tiki Oasis.  Both revolved around a 60s spy-theme;  Costume College's Friday Night Social, "Casino Royale: Our Favorite Spies", and Tiki Oasis overall theme was 60s International Intrigue-Den of Spies.  I wore the below dress to both.

Butterick 9826 was a popular pattern in 1961.  It was one of the patterns they made part of their current Retro pattern line, and I wanted to give it a try.





 

One of my favorite spies is Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau of the Pink Panther series. While looking for fabric for this dress, I came across this great print.  Perfect 60s vibe!   There were a couple Pink Panther prints, but this one was my favorite.  I love the pink hot rod.

This is an extremely easy pattern, and sewed up in no time. I added a pink wrap around the waist as pictured.   It is kind of odd, as the ties are secured in the side seams, cross in front and tie in the back.   I was not too happy with the way the pink ties were wrapped high in the front, but when tied in the back, there was quite a drop in height.  Here are some photos to show what I mean.

Once I tried the dress on and wrapped it around my waist, I was not happy with it.  I carry my excess weight around the middle and the tie made me look like a burrito.  I opened the side seams and removed the ties.  I think if I make this dress again, I would sew the tie in the same fabric as the rest of the dress so it will blend in better.  I  am using a pink belt instead for this dress.

Left:  This still needs a hem and sleeve hems.
  
I DON'T LIKE THIS DRESS.  I think this pattern didn't work for me because it was too much fabric.  I felt I was swimming in it.  While it could have been the large, bright print or the boat neck, it just wasn't right for me.  I am going to remove the bodice and re-cut to a different pattern, and reattach it.
 
Here are a couple of shots.















My lovely friend Birda looks charming in her dress made from the same pattern!

I did wear it to Tiki Oasis for Friday evening, but was not real happy with it.  Several people did remark on it, and liked it.  Jerry took a few photos of me on the balcony of my friends' hotel room but they didn't turn out.   Well, not everything you make works out!  When I remake this dress, I will post the changes.