Blue Overdress

I picked up this Harve Benard garment at a thrift shop a while back. It was in the dress section, but I think it may actually be a jacket that’s meant to be worn over pants. There’s a very tall vent in the back that if you did not wear pants underneath, would create a very embarrassing moment if you moved…at all.

I wanted to wear this garment as a dress, so I’ll just call it a dress. I’m guessing it’s got some years on it because it was made in Russia (and I don’t think I recall, if ever, seeing a garment made in Russia).

Although it was a bit large on me, I bought it anyway because I assumed I could take it in to fit me better. If I was more patient and better at sewing, I would have ripped up the sides seams and taken in the sides properly for both the fabric and the lining. But this would have been a pain to do because the garment is made so well that the lining is sewn to the fabric at all sides (even the bottom). In addition, the armholes would need to be made deeper because of the amount of fabric taken in (which would mean additional sewing).

So I did it the lazy-man’s way and just sewed all the fabric layers together from under the arm to the waist to take it in a bit. And the armholes, well, I just had to end my seam an inch before I hit the armholes so my arms would have enough room to move. It’s not pretty…and I know it. But I don’t think most people will be looking so closely at my poor seams.

I really like the simple clean lines of this dress; the buttons that go down the front of the dress are covered, except the top one. And I like the color, navy (which tends to be my go-to color besides black). Because this dress still has an incredibly high vent in the back and the buttons end rather high on the front, my plan is for it to be an overdress. It will always be worn on top of another dress or skirt, so there will be a flash of color from whatever I wear underneath. I think it’s a pretty cute garment.