Vogue 1548: weird but wearable

Vogue 1548 front

This is my Vogue 1548 dress, yet again. I finally have pictures of it on me rather than on the dress form or the floor.

One of the things that drew me to this pattern was that the style looked as if it might be fairly wearable in day to day life. I made it up in a black wool and polyester blend gabardine from Croft Mill. This is a lovely fabric that looks good but is surprisingly tough. It can tolerate a lot of pressing without picking up iron marks, and takes a pleat well but doesn’t crease much when worn. At the time I wrote this there was some left here.

Vogue 1548

So how is the dress to wear? The sleeves are a little restrictive, which is visible in the pictures. The skirt is quite short. I added 3cm to the skirt length on top of the usual 5cm I add to bodices, and I would not want the dress to be shorter. The waist seam of the dress is well above the natural waistline which disguises the length in photos, but I was very conscious of it when sitting. Altogether it’s a dress that you can’t just forget you’re wearing. But it was comfortable enough for a day in the office and I really enjoyed wearing something with such a definite Look. It kind of reminds me of the clothes in the Nikolai Dante comic strip.

Vogue 1548 back

The sleeves are very long. I’d normally add 5cm to Vogue sleeves, and here I added nothing at all. I like a long sleeve, and I think the original is meant to have them a bit on the long side. On the pattern photo and the runway photos they are well over the model’s wrists. But I think the pattern length is excessive even allowing for that. I also think the cuff circumference is larger than it needs to be.

Other than the sleeve this pattern runs smaller than most Vogues I’ve made: which doesn’t mean small. I still went down one size from the measurement chart.

A lot of the pictures of this dress you find on the Internet show the plastron partially unbuttoned. This doesn’t work for me at all. The neckline edge of the buttoned side ends up sticking up in an annoying way – picture below – which it doesn’t on the original dress. I wonder if my bodice length alterations have messed up the way it hangs.

Vogue 1548 front half done up

The bodice was not easy to sew. It has very deeply curved princess seams and sharp Dior darts. It was difficult enough in the wool shell fabric; the lining was even worse. My darts have ended up pointy despite loads of pressing. They’re also in the wrong place, which was my laziness in not making adjustments. The plastron hides all; another reason I love it. But here is what it looks like without.

Vogue 1548 front without plastron

I haven’t got a good picture of the pockets I added to the skirt, but they’re ordinary side seam pockets. I put the pockets in upside down at first by mistake because the skirt pattern piece is much wider at the top than the hem. The pleats take all the width up to produce the dramatic tulip shape. As always I wish I’d made the pockets bigger. But I got the height right this time.

So the verdict is that I love this dress. I won’t wear it every week but it won’t be stuck at the back of the wardrobe either. And now I’m off to sew my next project: something so simple it has no pattern and where most of the seams are straight lines.

25 thoughts on “Vogue 1548: weird but wearable”

  1. It’s very distinctive, in a good way. Your choice of fabric looks right with the style, the dark colour brings just enough focus on the details and stops it looking fussy. Good tips about the pattern lengths, it sounds like some very careful measuring of the pieces and/or a toile would be essential – there’s such a lot of work in it, getting the sizing out would e seriously annoying. I rather like the way it manages to look both severe and feminine in equal measure.

  3. I love this, the work you put in has really paid off. Maybe recover with some pj pants?

  5. I know you prefer it with the plastron, but the photo without it is quite striking with the buttons adding emphasis to the V neckline. It’s quite the fantastic dress!

  7. This may not be to everyone’s style taste and you knew this when choosing the pattern – however, I really admire your tenacity and panache to sew and wear such an unique dress. I do agree with Tia that I think it looks best with the V neckline – but then, I’m a stuck in the 20th century. Go for it and set new boundaries

  8. that looks super interesting and it looks the the fit is really good. perfect for you.

  9. I’m stunned by this dress. One minute I think it is awesome and then the next completely weird. It certainly challenges. You’ve done a fantastic job on it – it’s a beautiful fit.

  13. That’s a fabulous dress. I love it on you with and without the plastron and I thank you for teaching me what a plastron is… I remember dresses from my youth with these … never thought of what it may be called. I also love it without the plastron.

  14. interesting pattern. considered trying it myself. you did a lovely inspiring make of it! i agree with others, i think you could easily wear the dress with or without the plastron. may i ask, are those inverted box pleats on the skirt? did you add more pleats? or are the pattern pics deceptive (as these occasionally are)?

    1. Thanks! Yes they are inverted box pleats. I didn’t add any extra ones but I did change the depth of the back ones to give myself more space. The waist on this is quite close fitting.

  15. Stunning dress, your version being far better than the pattern photo. The slightly too long sleeves/ too short skirt actually enhance the Haute Couture look! I love it with or without plastron (though I know what you mean with the darts), I agree the half-off is odd. Also on the pattern model. Extra advantage if eating at a seafood restaurant and making stains, you could remove the ‘bib’ and still look glamorous for desert.

  16. You did it! my impression is that this pattern has opportunity to sew just about every line/technique in the book. Quite lovely, unique.

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