Claire Shaeffer Custom Couture patterns (cont.): V8489 bias dress

This dress (V8489) must look gorgeous. It is cut on bias, uses piecing technique and has a great neckline. The pattern is recommended for hourglass and triangle figures. The dress is evening length, but if I did it for myself, I would probably make it knee-length.

The pattern is still available on Vogue Patterns website for the regular price of $16,50. On sale, it can cost as low as $3.50. I highly recommend this pattern for anyone who wants to practice bias construction. As always, I love comparing couture and regular construction techniques. Have you made this dress? if so, please comment with a link to your blog, I will add it to the Couture Patterns page under  this design.

MISSES' DRESS: Close-fitting, A-line, bias dress, evening length has shoulder straps and left side zipper, using couture sewing methods. Purchased trim on shoulder straps and armholes.

NOTIONS: 14" Zipper, 1 3/4 Yds. of approximately 1/2" beaded trim, Hooks and Eyes.
FABRICS: Wool Crepe, Wool Jersey and Crepe Back Satin. For piecing, allow extra fabric to match design. Lining: Organza. Unsuitable for obvious diagonals, plaids or stripes. Use nap yardages/layouts for pile, shaded or one-way design fabrics. *with nap. **without nap. No provision made for above waist adjustment.
COMBINATIONS: AA(6-8-10-12), EE(14-16-18-20)

A great review of the pattern and construction techniques is on the And She Sews blog.

If you are looking for information on other couture patterns by Claire Shaeffer, check out my Couture Patterns page. I am constantly updating it with new patterns.

P.S. I have contacted Vogue Patterns asking them whether they had a list of all Custom Couture Patterns they printed, but the answer was a "No". Hard to believe that they have no records to refer to, but well... I will try to contact Claire Shaeffer personally. But meanwhile, I will just continue posting my finds, hoping that one day I will have full list.

Couture Patterns (2): V7540 Dress by Claire Shaeffer

I am so excited about my growing collection of Shaeffer's Custom Couture designs for Vogue Patterns!

So, the next on the list is V7540: Misses' Dress & Belt (OOP). I purchased this out-of-print pattern this week on eBay - for very reasonable price.

Fitted, lined, straight, sleeveless dress, mid-knee, has welts and back zipper. A: armhole shields (I've seen those on dresses with sleeves only - very practical) and pockets. Lined belt has button closure.

Ok, the design is basic, but I am really interested in couture construction techniques for the neckline and armholes. I am sure i will discover more when the pattern arrives.

Couture Patterns: an (in)complete list

The last ten days passed without me noticing it. Work, sick kids, projects - leaving no time for sewing or blogging. In between, however, I did manage to acquire some great patterns by Claire Shaeffer from her Custom Couture Collection for Vogue Patterns.

It all started with the very popular and now out-of-print pattern for Chanel(-inspired) Jacket (V8295).

I tried to locate this pattern, in vain, on eBay, Etsy, vintage and discontinued pattern stores... I even wrote to McCalls... They suggested I look on eBay (how original), but at least they wrote back. At one forum, contributors mentioned that V8295 was sold for almost $100 on eBay.... There should be a reason!

Well, to cut the long story short, I discovered about 30 other Custom Couture patterns. I thought, this is better than any sewing resource - it is almost an encyclopedic record of couture sewing techniques project by project. So, I should try to collect all of them!

Do you think it is crazy, dear readers? If you are reading this, the chances are you know Claire Shaeffer and her patterns and are interested in Haute Couture, or? Do you possess any of her patterns?

So, the first thing I did I Googled "Claire Shaeffer Custom Couture" - I came across dozens of blogs describing how they made V8295 or how they are looking for the pattern. Others tried to make Custom Couture Pants, there were also other patterns. But I was not able to find a resource listing all her patterns she did for this collection. If you know of such a resource, please, let me know!

Meanwhile, I decided to create an additional page on this blog listing all Shaeffer patterns with notes. I won't be able to do it at once but I will try to do it one by one. So, check it out - Couture Patterns - I hope it will prove to be a useful resource for others.

The first entry has been added, V7803 (Skirt), an out-of-print pattern.

I purchased this pattern recently and as soon as it arrives I will add description of it. Does anyone know actually whether there other skirts from this line?