Some Anglomania from Australia

This ensemble came about as I needed a Westwood style outfit for a fundraiser screening.  I hired a theatre to show ‘Westwood: punk, icon, activist’ for a Fashion Friday Frocks at the Flicks fundraiser,  this documentary just started its screen run here in Australia over the last week.  I knew I wanted to use this plaid seersucker and decided to go with a pattern I knew, the By Hand London Anna Dress.  The name should give it away, this is pattern is from England ;o)

My inspiration posts mostly came from Vivienne Westwood’s ‘Anglomania’ collection or a similar style, so it’s only fitting!  I liked the idea of a corset belt and had remembered one on Gertie’s instagram.  The pattern for that one is from etsy store ‘dress like princess‘.  This is a pattern only with no instructions but I found a tutorial on Emerald Erin that was very useful.  The etsy store appears to be based in Russia, which fits in well with the Monthly Stitch Independent Pattern Month ‘Around the World’ theme.

I changed the skirt on the Anna dress as I wanted a box pleat skirt using the full width of the fabric for both the front and the back.  I mad it as wide as I could, lining up the plaid with the bodice and the box pleats with the bodice release pleats.  I just pinned up one side for a bit of fun on the night.  I decided to use a metal exposed zipper for a bit more edge and then I turned to my inspiration images for some accessories hair and make up.

I wish I had taken a photo of the dress without the belt and some different styling, but I didn’t find the time for that!

We enjoyed the documentary and we were quite taken with Andreas Kronthaler’s modelling style (Vivienne Westwood’s partner):

Project summary

pattern: By Hand London Anna Dress with Dress Like Princess corset belt

fabrics: Anna in plaid seersucker, corset belt in Hong Kong brocade

notions: exposed metal zipper for Anna. satin bias, velvet ribbon, birch eyelets, rigilene for corset belt.