My new favourite summer dress: the Closet Core Elodie

Wrap dresses have been very popular in women’s closets and sewing pattern companies offerings for years, yet the new Closet Core Patterns (formerly Closet Case Patterns) Elodie wrap dress proves there is always room for more. I had the great pleasure of pattern-testing it a few weeks ago and it’s already become a staple in my wardrobe. I’ve sewn up the short-sleeved version with a short skirt in a spotty viscose twill from Dům látek, but if you’re feeling fancy, the skirt also comes in a midi and maxi length, and you also have the option of making the bodice long-sleeved.

You know it’s goodie when as soon as you finish a new garment, you wear it at every opportunity. That’s been exactly the case with my Elodie – it’s so easy to wear, comfortable, and oh so chic.

The feature I love the most are the gorgeous bust pleats, that are sewn closed up to the bustline to ensure the waist and midriff are nicely defined, while giving a great fit across the bust, where they are released.

The back also features pleats, but these are left open, which creates a blousing effect I also quite like, as it’s a nice contrast to the top portion of the skirt, which is quite fitted through the back.

The waistband is integrated into the dress and the waist ties get wider towards the end, which I also love, as it makes for a much nicer bow once you tie it!

Constructionwise, the dress is quite simple, you just have to be very careful not to stretch the bias-cut parts, but the instructions tell you how to avoid it and emphasise it throughout. The neckline is finished with a facing rather than bias binding, as is usually the case with wrap dresses (at least those I have tried), and I think I might prefer it.

The only fiddly bit I found was closing the edges of the opening for the waist tie in the side seam – you have to hand-stitch the edges of the inner and outer waistband closed once you have sewn the inner waistband on and it’s tricky getting the seam allowances sandwitched in between out of the way. But it just needs a little bit of patience.

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In terms of sizing, I am in Closet Core’s testing group for the extended size range, however, my measurements have changed a bit since I started testing for them. Based on my previous experience with testing the Fiore skirt, I thought it would still be fine according to the size chart, but when I received the Elodie, the smallest size in that range – 14 – was a little too big, so I graded down to what would be a 12. I think the fit is really good and I didn’t have to do any other adjustments. As this size range is drafted for larger cup sizes (D), it still suits me better than the standard size range. So if anyone is in the same boat, undecided which size range to go for, I would go by your cup size – if you choose the extended size range, grading down is really easy (though I probably wouldn’t grade down more than one size).

Based on the tester feedback, Closet Core have updated the pattern, so your version might be slightly different to my tester version, but there weren’t any major changes.

I was provided this pattern for free, along with a giftcard for the Closet Core shop, in exchange for tester feedback, however, I was under no obligation to share the finished garment and all opinions are my own.

If you have any questions about the construction, or want to share your experience making it, let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

Magda