Is it just me, or does this new Donna Karan pattern from Vogue (#V1202) look like she got her skirt and her top stuck in her pantyhose?
Donna Karan Vogue Pattern #V1202
The front is just as much of a mess as the back:
Seriously. Who are the pattern companies designing for these days? Obviously not for me! And I can’t even begin to imagine what would happen if I tried to turn in a design like this for a class project. I am dismayed that I keep seeing this pattern pop up in Vogue Pattern advertising. You’d think they’d want to hide it!
I find it interesting that when they show a closeup of the skirt, it is with a different top:
With this top, the skirt turns into something interesting rather than the disaster it is with the top that is part of the pattern.
As the fabulous Tom & Lorenzo would say, this is definitely an “out.”
I remember when “Vogue” spelled “timeless.” No more. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. I was a young adult when my mother was 60 — about 1970 — and she was still sewing beautiful clothes for herself. I swear — I can’t find anything in the pattern catalog that I deem appropriate for my age and figure. It’s all geared to the young or — as you show here — the impossible. (Okay — maybe I could make myself a robe or a “big” shirt.)
Last year I was seeking a “mother-of-the-bride” dress, and again, I found it so frustrating. The models were tall, willowy, and not more than 35. Come on! I’m 60, 5’2″ and round. And it should not be out of the realm of possibility for me to wear pretty clothes.
I really think vintage patterns are so popular because they are timeless. I’ll confess that I LOVE that I’m taking classes so that I can replicate styles that are appropriate for my age and body.
AND, one of the reasons I want to teach so badly is because I know you and I aren’t the only ones frustrated with what is available.
hey Julie-Ann,
gonna disagree with you here–
top: I can see this with slender black pants–there is too much drapey going on in the pattern photo. I could wear this top (and I’m older than your are!) but the BRA issue might stop me…I would re-cut it without the opening in back.
skirt: I would like that BACK view as the FRONT instead (hum, probably it would turn around OK and no one would know), and this needs to be worn with one of DK’s 80′s body suits as a top–they were smoothly wrapped, if you remember.
Design concept for figure flattering–
When you examine the elements of this top carefully, some very flattering proportions are evident. Sometimes really great styles are hidden in plain view:
The batwing sleeve cut is fairly well accepted as a DO for pear shapes–it widens the upper portion of a figure with narrow shoulders.
The diagonal lines of this draped peplum is a great method for avoiding a horizontal line across the hips. Bringing the top fabric down into the hips will also elongate the upper body, perfect for a high waisted type.
Lowering the neckline below the collar bone would have to be done–that turtleneck is murder for most women. Perhaps a ‘V’ shape? (and close up the backview)
Pair this revised top with pants + shoes of the same tonal value and you would have a very flattering top for many women ‘of a certain age’, don’t you think?
Ah, but in essence, you’ve redesigned it. With the changes you suggest, I can see it as doable. As is and how they are presenting it (the two pieces together), it is a “no go.”
Gaaa…the world is coming to an end. “Wedgies” are fashionable now!