Tie the ties: Liesl + Co. Belgravia dress in festive red

With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I’d share this festive little number made from wine-red ponte roma fabric from Dům látek. I bought it in the autumn with some fabric money I received from my colleagues at work and I knew I wanted to turn it into a comfortable, but classy dress. As soon as I came across the Belgravia dress by Liesl + Co., I knew it would be that one!

I love waist ties, but this dress takes it to the next level. The waist ties are integrated into the front bodice pieces which have enough excess volume to substitute for bust darts. When tied, this creates a beatiful fit across the bust and nicely defines the shape of the waist.

You can choose from two variations. View A comes with short ties that just tie at the front, short sleeves, and a slit at the bottom of the center seam of the skirt. I opted for view B with long ties that wrap around the waist and cross at the back before being tied at the front. This view also comes with long sleeves, however, I went for three-quarter length. I also kept the slit from view A.

The only other modifications I made were to angle and round the edges of the ties a bit and to lower the neckline by about 3cm. I simply moved the top of the V and redrew the neckline to hit a little lower. I should also have done a narrow-shoulder adjustment, as that’s something I have to do to most patterns, but alas, I was too lazy and wanted to get the dress sewn up. Oh well, I’ll know better for next time! I think I might try to make it as a top from a lighter fabric for the summer.

I made a size 12, grading to 14 at the hips. As the pattern is made from a knit fabric and the upper body has quite a bit of ease, being shaped by tying the ties, the fit is quite forgiving. The construction was also quite straightforward, with very clear instructions.

Were we having a normal Christmas visiting friends and family, this would be the perfect dress, that has enough room for Christmas treats to still be comfortable, yet looks elegant and festive. It will also be a great dress to wear to the office, once we go back. So if you’re looking for a knit dress pattern that’s a little bit more interesting, I highly recommend trying this one!

Till next time,

Magda