This is my first attempt at the popular Christine Haynes Marianne dress:
Ahhhh...I wanted so badly for this dress to work for me, but I am unfortunately not feeling it at all. Sad day.
I think it looks better in the photos than it does in real life, but I am just not super comfortable in it. It feels neither "me" nor particularly flattering to my body type, despite how cute I find the pattern to be on others (I am particularly in love with Devon's version).
I made my Marianne with this gorgeous, drapey Betsey Johnson floral jersey I got from the lovely Nicole at Pudge & Nico when we did a fabric swap as part of Sister of Traveling Fabrics organized by Lola at Love, Lola. After polling my Insta-crew, I paired the floral with some teal jersey from Fashion Fabrics Club.
I wonder if perhaps the Marianne dress pattern wasn't the best option for my jersey. Both my fabrics are pretty lightweight, the floral more so. I find that, as a result, the dress just ends up hanging off of me and is a bit saggy looking. Also, I had to unpick the teal cuffs because they looked bulky and weird relative to the super drapey floral sleeves.
I also feel like the yoke kinda makes me look like a linebacker and the line across the bust is hitting me in a weird spot. I'm not in love with the armpit wrinkles caused by the extended shoulders...
I know this post is getting a bit Debbie Downer, but I find that the dress isn't right for my pear shape, either- a bit potato sack-y. Wa waaaaaaaaa.
I may try cutting the dress to a tunic/shirt length to see if I like it a bit better...
Ok, I'll end with the good news: I still have plenty of the gorgeous floral left for another garment! Any thoughts on an appropriate pattern for this print?
