In February 2012, the Duchess of Cambridge wore a grey tweed, double-breasted 1950s-style frock with a full skirt, elbow-length sleeves, and a wide shawl collar. This dress caused some controversy because the clothing label Jesiré had gone out of business about a year before she wore their dress. It's widely speculated that her dress was a purchased second-hand by a secret shopper at a small vintage store close to Kate's family home in Bucklebury. One of the rare dresses sold on Ebay for £950.00 (about $1432.00 USD), and it wasn't even owned by the Duchess! I'm so glad I can sew!
The great thing about Kate's clothes is that you can find images from all different angles to recreate the details, including a side view with the underarm zipper pull
and a full back view.
There's this zoom of the two decorative buttons and two working buttonholes. I never cared for this unevenness, so I made mine with all four working buttonholes.
There's even this lightened close-up of the tweed fabric.
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| Invisible zipper in the side seam. This fabric was a dream to sew; the seams pressed in place so smoothly. |
This was a frankenpattern consisting of a the top half from an old reliable pattern
and a new pattern for the skirt.
Fabric used: Black and white Isla herringbone silk suiting, 2.5 yards at $4.24 = $10.60
Red Radiance silk/cotton lining: 2 yards (sleeves are not lined) at $3.99 = $7.98
Buttons: $3.08
Total: $21.66
Barganista savings: 98%.
