Review: Simplicity 1690, View A and B - A Statement Skirt

I love the uniqueness of this skirt pattern! The skirt patterns released lately are too simplistic for my taste. I also made the lovely cocktail dress that comes with this pattern.

Pattern: Simplicity 1755. View A: Fabric: Imitation Silk (Thrifted), Lining: Pongee (Fabric Vision). View B: Fabric: Cotton Sateen (Spotlight).

What to love about this pattern 

View A 

I bought this pattern for the skirt, but ended up making this dress with some spare fabric. Simplicity has the best fit for strapless dresses, and this dress is no exception. I have no issues with the bodice slipping down. The simplicity and youthfulness of this cocktail dress makes it great for teens learning to sew.

View B 
This skirt is unique and lovely! The drape in the front gives it a lovely 3D-effect almost like petals. As this is a gathered skirt, I have full free movement of my legs. I wear this skirt to work all the time and people always tell me how beautiful it is.

What I don't like about this pattern 

View A
I have no complaints about this view. It was fun and easy to make.

View B 

I found that the instructions for the skirt jumped around a lot and didn't have the detail that a dedicated skirt pattern would have. The instructions don't detail on how to fold away the raw edges of the waistband. For the zipper, the instructions just refer back the the dress instructions and don't detail how to sew a skirt zipper. 

Changes that I made 

View A 

I didn't make the sash for the waist as the dress is already very colourful, but it looks cute in the picture.

View B 

I made several technical changes in how the waistband was sewn to get a more professional look.

What I could have done better 

View A 

The shape of the dress didn't turn out as dramatic as I would like, most likely due to the fabric I used. I wish I made this dress in sateen to get that gorgeous drape in the folds.

View B 

Nothing really. It looks just like the pattern pictures.

Difficulty

View A 
For a cocktail dress, this pattern is quite easy! You'll need to know how to sew boning and invisible zippers. I would have loved to make this dress for prom when I was a teen. I think this pattern is great for that purpose and you'll learn many techniques.

View B 

This skirt pattern is much easier to make than it looks. The drape folds onto itself and has cute pleats on top. You need to carefully mark which side is the right side of the skirt. The pleats should go outwards from the centre of the skirt, but they are made on the wrong side of the drape.

The Verdict 

View A 

This pattern is lovely, but I feel the type of fabric I used let it down. This type of dress is better suited for for medium weight fabrics like linen, satin, and sateen.

• 
  
• Instruction Clarity: 5/5. The instructions are detailed and easy to follow.
• Fit: 5/5. The dress fits great despite my small upper bust.
• Design Elegance: 5/5. I love the mix of gathers and pleats in the skirt. It's a lovely and unique design.

• Final Product: 4/5. This dress will look stunning with the right fabric, unfortunately the fabric I used was too light weight. The fabric suggestions could be better on the pattern instructions.
• Overall: 4.8/5.  

View B 

This is my favourite skirt pattern so far. I can wear this skirt wherever and feel well dressed and fashionable. 

• Instruction Clarity: 3/5. The skirt instructions seemed like an afterthought and not enough detail was given.
• Fit: 4/5. The waistband isn't tight enough for my taste, but this is easy to fix.
• Design Elegance: 5/5. This skirt looks way more expensive and difficult to make than it actually is. 
• Final Product: 5/5. I love this skirt and it's a work wardrobe staple.
• Overall: 4.3/5.  I think Leanne Marshall needs a pattern dedicated to skirts. This skirt is lovely but I need more design features to make more!
•