Hello again!
It’s day three and time for me to introduce the last of our new pattern collection for Fall 2023. Allow me to present the Kyoto Dress! And it’s also available in digital format so you can print it at home or have it printed for you.
This is a gentle fit-and-flare style that never goes out of style. It’s both contemporary and classic. Details? A gently-curved waist seam, front and back darts for subtle shaping, an inverted box pleat at the center-front skirt, and both short- and long-sleeve options. And of course we included cup sizes to help you get a great fit. This style closes with an invisible zipper at the back. Invisible zippers are my favorite way to close a dress with clean lines like this one. Pull it on, zip it up, and go!
I love to design and wear this silhouette because I think it’s flattering on so many bodies. It skims the body rather than defining, if that makes any sense. A few years ago I designed a dress with a similar silhouette for our Lisette collection and it was very popular. It’s a very feminine shape, I think, particularly well-suited to those of us who are “pear-shaped” (uff, I detest that description) or who have differently-sized upper and lower bodies.
When I say the lines of this dress are “body skimming,” I mean that they float over the body and give a gentle shape without being too defining or restricting. The curved waist seam is soft and defining without restricting, the front and back darts give shape, and the inverted box pleat at the center front adds a little flare to the skirt without a lot of volume. In short, it’s a flattering shape that’s easy to wear; very feminine but also comfortable.
I’ve included two views for this style. Both views have a gentle curved V neck and an invisible zipper at the center back. View A has cute little short sleeves and View B has full-length bell sleeves. No cuffs, no buttons, just the zipper at the back to make it easy to slip this dress on and go.
And of course we included cup sizes to help you get a great fit. A/B, C, and D cups are all included to make it easier for you to customize the dress to your own body.
I think it’s a modern but classic shape, so you can style and wear it however you want.
I used a very lightweight silk/cotton satin for the peach-colored View A dress. And just for the fun of it I used a very heavy wool flannel for View B to show you that this dress can be warm and cozy for winter, too! Imagine this view with opaque stockings and cute boots. (It was far too hot here to shoot it that way, believe me.) I’ll talk more about fabric and styling ideas for this style in a separate post soon.
But meanwhile, you can pick up a copy of the Kyoto Dress in paper or in digital format. I hope you’ll tag us with #lieslcokyotodress and #lieslandco so we can see what you make. As always, I can’t wait to see what you do with this pattern!
Beautiful!
Hi. What kind of wool did you use so it would not scratch your skin?
It’s a wool flannel, not too scratchy. I added a lining, which is easy to do if your skin is sensitive. I wrote a blog post to help: https://oliverands.com/community/blog/2017/01/easy-facing-and-lining-technique.html
Thank you. I was wondering if it was lined. Looking forward to your next posts. It is quite a beautiful dress.
Would a Ponte knit work for this pattern?
I haven’t tried ponte on this pattern, but it might work. If you try it I hope you’ll show us how it turns out!
There are no waist markings to check torso length (I have a long torso). Am I right in thinking that the front “waist” seam should hit around the bottom ribs at the side seam?
Thanks!
I would recommend comparing the Dress Back to your body for torso length. The widest part of the darts should hit at your high waist–the narrowest part of your waist (which is just below your ribcage). I hope that helps!
Thank you, I did do that first, but distrusted the result because it suggested that I add nearly three inches to the torso length! (I’m 5’10” with proportionately shorter legs.)
I really love the look of this dress, and am definitely going to make it, but I think a muslin or two are in order!
Three inches!!! Yes, I would suggest a muslin also. I’m long waisted and 5’8″ and I usually add 1″ to lengthen the torso. Would love to see how it turns out!