WIW: festive purple velvet - YouLookFab Forum

When Angie posted her holiday outfit, I was thinking of what I would wear for festive occasions this season. I wanted to make a velvet knit dress, and I managed to get it done in time to wear for my anniversary dinner this weekend.

The outfit: purple velvet knit dress with front pleat and placket neckline (made by me); black tights and black suede tall boots (Donald J. Pliner), silver chain shoulder bag (Michael Kors), not pictured: burgundy wool tweed coat (made by me).

I'm planning to wear the dress for Christmas dinner, too. I might wear more sleek looking boots (again, Donald Pliner), and pearls.

I welcome your thoughts!

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6 years ago

The Cat

Veteran

Love your purple dress with the silver necklace and silver chain shoulder bag.

Janet

(website)

Wow, gorgeous! That is a great dress, and it’s perfect for you. Beautiful color. I like some shades of purple but have almost none of it in my closet anymore — the color you have chosen is one I would welcome back to my wardrobe!

Firecracker (Sharan)

Thank you, the Cat and Janet!
I know what you mean about shades of purple, Janet. It's very hard to find the right ones for me, too.

Anonymous

What a stunning dress!! You look beautiful.

SarahD8

You look gorgeous! The dress looks luxe and the sleek boots and metallic accessories really complement it well.

Can I ask what pattern you used?

Stagiaire Fash

Purple velvet? Yes please! You did make one for me, right?

Dianna

I am always impressed with your skill. The dress is just fan-tas-tic.

JAileen

Gorgeous dress. I love your accessories, too. You look fab!

Joyce B

What a beautiful dress! I also love purple and it suits you beautifully. The whole outfit is fantastic. You should market your designs, you are very talented.
Your dress is fabulous for both occasions, anniversary (happy anniversary!) and Christmas.

Murph11

Spectacularly-festive!

approprio

Lovely! Always a sucker for home couture. It's the best. I particularly like the sparkle over the darker colours. I miss purple in my wardrobe.

karen13

Ooo la la! I love it! Color and style are so great on you! I bought some navy and some hunter stretch crushed velvet a week or so ago with the intent of making some simple tops, but haven't found the time. I accidentally got 2x the navy i wanted so wish I wore dresses. You are inspiring me.

What direction did you run the nap? I noticed in some RTW tops I tried that had the nap running different directions on different color ways, that I actually preferred the look of the opposite of what I was taught (smooth if you run your hand top to bottom. The ones that had the nap running up had a more consistent reflection of light, where the the nap down tops were light above my bust and darker below. It took me a while to figure out why I liked one color so much better than the other in the mirror.

Angie

Fashion Stylist

KILLER stunning. And so is your hair. Much love to you, Sharan.

Bonnie

Love it!!

rachylou

Woo! Now that’s a party dress!

Suz

Wow, you look like royalty! What a stunning and festive colour.

Do you remember velvet dresses at the holidays in childhood? I had red ones, green ones, blue ones -- and loved them all. But I'd have loved this one even more!!

Aida

Ooh the dress!! Love that front pleat; fab swingy action in motion and enough structure when not. Fun with the more casual tall boots and will look lovely with the dressier tall ones too. I might go chunky metal or stones on the jewelry with that one for contrast. So nice to see you I still owe you lunch sometime, too.

Joy

OH, you had me at "purple velvet". The style will allow you to eat your dinner in comfort.
You have most of the considerations in Angie's blog post...color, texture, shine. Toy don't need pattern but could easily add a patterned scarf or footwear or bag. I especially like the chain-handled bag. You look stunning. Warning: Everyone will want to touch that velvet dress.

Beth Ann

I had a purple velvet dress, and still miss it! Yours is swingy and modern, and both festive and practical!

Thanks, everyone, for your kind comments and support!

Sarah, I started with Style Arc's Mary dress, a simple t-shirt dress that I've made several times. I was trying to copy an OSKA dress, so I added a 7" pleat down the front (stitched closed for the middle portion of the dress). The released-pleat cowl didn't lay the way I wanted, so I stitched it down into a placket design and centered my pleat at the bottom.

Fashiontern, you are sweet, and you crack me up!

Approprio and Joyce, I was really taken with the idea of purple this season for the holidays. I love purple, too, in the right shades, anyway, and have less of it than I would like in my wardrobe.

Karen13, I ran the nap so that it feels rougher running your hands downward. Perhaps your reasoning is why I learned to run it that way. I thought I also heard that it wears better that way; with corduroy pants, for instance, there is supposed to be less shine on the seat after sitting.

Angie, thank you!!

Suz, yes I do. I seem to recall getting a red velvet dress for several holiday seasons in a row when I was a girl. I think my mother made all of them. One had a very pale pink cotton sateen Peter Pan collar, so lovely against the red velvet. Boy, did my mother spoil me!

Thanks, Aida! I like your idea of chunky jewelry or stones with it. And lunch! (I had completely forgotten. . .)

Joy, I'm chuckling! Yes I will be able to eat a big dinner with this dress. I'm hoping I don't encounter any roving hands, though--yikes! (Well, other than from DH, that is.)

Beth Ann, you look so good in purple. You'll have to find another dress to replace it.

Dianne, Dianna, JAileen, Murph11, Bonnie, and Rachylou, thanks for chiming in!

Jaime

Love the purple velvet dress! Gorgeous!

Thanks, Shevia!

Violettt

Active Member

Your purple velvet dress and coat you made are just gorgeous! Real classic styles you'll wear for years! Well done~ You are so talented to be able to sew like that!

Brooklyn

Luxe and lovely!

Staysfit

Super stunning! I love purple and this is a great look! Happy Anniversary!

Sisi

This dress is marvelous and you look fab! I approve the idea of sleeker boots with it. As usual I am in awe in front of people with such sewing skills.

lyn67

This is just the marvelous one! K2K!

Zibbets

Oh wow! Ten out of ten! That is a gorgeous dress and I love it with the boots.

Sara L.

Omg! The dress is beautiful! I want one now. I've been struggling with what to wear to my office Xmas party this week and now I want velvet. Not happening though - I will be shopping my closet.

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