Ok, people, here it is: my last sewing project of the summer. Call it my swan song if you like. My big bang. My go-big-or-go-home farewell. I hope you like this red & navy linen dress as much as I do.
fabric
There is nothing more classic than the combination of red & navy. It’s very East Coast preppy, and it’s also a color combination that can easily be worn year-round.
I used up the last of my linen with this project, and I’m very happy with how it turned out. The red is bold and the navy is subtle, but those dramatic ruffles kick this otherwise simple color palette up a notch.
patterns
This was another two-pattern project. I do love a little mix-and-match magic when I’m sewing. Once you start swapping pattern pieces in and out, the possibilities are endless.
The bodice is from my one and only favorite top pattern, McCall’s 7602. If you read my last post, you’ll recognize the exact same bodice from my Pink Feather Trim Dress. The only difference is that I added a peplum to the pink version.
For the skirt, I used Vogue 9173. Talk about drama. This skirt has it in spades.
I’ve been in a very Johanna Ortiz-inspired mood lately. I wrote about her designs in the Style feature in the August issue of The Roxbury Edit, and there is just something I love about all those dramatic ruffles and flounces.
The skirt is meant to be floor-length, but I shortened it because otherwise I would absolutely trip all over it. I decided to shorten the ruffles but keep the top portion of the skirt as is.
Next time, I’m going to experiment with putting some of that length back into the ruffles while shortening the upper portion of the skirt instead and see what happens.
I love the way this dress looks, and the way the ruffles swish when you walk is incredibly satisfying. That said, something about the proportions of the ruffles feels just a little off to me. So stay tuned—there may very well be another version of this skirt in my future.
how to style a red & Navy Linen Dress
I’m styling this as if I’m going to a Labor Day clambake (which I am not).
I’m keeping everything else simple and letting the dress do her thing: flip-flops, a mini red tote, sunglasses, a straw hat and a few fun accessories. Easy, summery and just preppy enough.
- Mini tote – link
- Flip flops – link
- Straw bucket hat – link
- Heart necklace – link
- Red hoop earrings – links
- Sunglasses – link
Red & Navy dress shopping links
Shipping links from left to right.
More styling tips
Interested in more red & navy styling options? Check out these posts.
final thoughts
And with that, I’m officially closing out my summer sewing season. I think this red & navy linen dress is a pretty fitting way to do it. Classic colors, lots of linen and just enough ruffle drama to make things interesting.
Is the skirt completely perfect? Maybe not. But that’s half the fun of sewing. Every project teaches me something, and apparently this one taught me that I may need to make Vogue 9173 again in the name of very important ruffle research.
For now, though, I’m calling this red & navy number a win and giving my summer linen stash a well-earned rest.
Until next year, linen.
