When in Liberty I regularly stroke the silk satins, dreaming of floaty dresses and luxurious pjs. Obviously it’s pretty pricey unless you’re able to get a remnant in the sale but I found this silk satin ‘Juniper’ at Shaukat for £25 per metre and thought I could squeeze a Vampire’s Wife/ Reformation inspired midi dress out of 2 metres.
For the pattern I used the By Hand London Holly bodice (minus the button placket), self drafted some puffy sleeves and used the Nine Lee Kew skirt again without the button placket. I added an invisible zip to the back to keep the shape nice and simple and let the fabric stand out.
I French seamed the whole dress and used Liberty bias binding from my stash for the neckline. I didn’t want to line the dress because I wanted it to be really light and luxurious, and it does actually feel like secret pyjamas when you’re wearing it.
You might recall that I put out a call for anti static solutions on my Instagram stories, because it does cling a bit. So if you see me touch a metal grounded bench whilst wearing this, that’s why. FYI the most successful of the advice I received was misting water so I just gave it a brief steam from a distance with a travel steamer. I’ve worn it twice so far and the second wear wasn’t static at all so I think that’s a winner.
Although traditionally a little dressy for the day, I have worn this casually with boots and tights; equally it can be dressed up with strappy heels. Since the fabric is so light I think it will be wearable in hotter temperatures too and perfect for a summer’s evening.
I’m definitely going to keep an eye out for silk satin remnants in the Liberty sales as it is a dream to wear and much easier to sew than I originally thought it would be. Although I don’t think I’m ready to hand wash ALL of my clothes so I’ll keep the silks to these one off garments I think!
Kate Eva 