Victory with the Victoire (La Femme Collection from Laela Jeyne)

Are we safe to say that winter is finally getting evicted?  I’m scared to jinx it, but here in Oklahoma, it sure feels a lot like summer is right around the corner!  I decided that I’m going to try something new this year and get myself into some dresses…a far cry from my usual sweaties and tee combo (which, by the way, I count as pretty stylish).  Marisa, from Laela Jeyne Patterns, announced that she was planning to do a women’s collection, and one of the dresses was a button down summer dress.  It, like the rest of the collection, is amazing!  I think I have four of these dresses now, each in a different type of fabric.  I’m contemplating a denim and lace one in the near future…

SOO, when Marisa sent an invite out to join her La Femme Collection Blog Tour, I was down for it immediately!  I decided to make myself another Victoire dress for the tour, but I cannot wait to grab the other patterns and get sewing on the other ones as well.  I do want to add a disclaimer that I am an affiliate with Laela Jeyne so I do receive a small commission for any pattern you buy using my affiliate links.

Hi, everyone, I’m Kim from Nini and Ash, and I’m one of the day two stops on the tour!  I’ve already seen some of the other outfits the ladies on the tour have made, and you aren’t going to want to miss the amazingness that is.  I’m pretty stoked to be a part of the tour with the rest of these talented ladies.

Like I said, I made a Victoire dress, but first, let’s get some pattern details on the table so you know what you’re working with here:

- There is a huge size range on this pattern.  It starts at size 00 and goes up to 26.

- Bodice pieces in different cup sizes so you can get the perfect fit

- Two length options: mini and tea

- Two strap options: you can use either 2 or 4 straps

- Optional bodice ruffle

- Extremely clear and concise directions and illustrations for each step

- No trim pages…can I get an AMEN on this one?

There are a lot of options on this dress so you can literally make over a week’s worth of dresses and never have the same one twice.  I have one in faux suede, one in a medium weight cotton, one in lightweight woven, and the one I featured here with a silk/cotton blend from Boho Fabrics.  This one is probably my favorite, though.  It’s so soft and drapey.  The fabric was a double border print so I used both sides to make the dress, and it came out exactly as I pictured in my head.

I ended up blending sizes for mine because I fell right in between a size 16 and 18 on measurements.  The straps are designed to be a little longer at first so that you can measure the exact length for your comfort.  I was going to hack this to make ties for the shoulders, but I decided that I love the look of the solid straps so I stuck to the pattern as drafted. 

Construction took a little longer for this one to piece together the cups, but man, it sure is worth that little extra time because it fits me like a glove.  I usually have issues with my bust because I’m a little smaller chested.  I measured as a B cup, and it was spot on.  There's also a little bit of ruching on the cups, and I love the way it looks when it's done.  You will want to get yourself a strapless or those stick on bra cups because the straps will show or in my case, the top of the bra poked out the top.  I think some of the ladies were looking at how to do a bra connected to the dress as well so that might be an option for my next one.  I also took a bit of length from the bodice because I measure in at 5’1” on a good day.  The pattern is drafted for a 5’5” woman, and I sure wish I had those extra 4 inches sometimes. 

I will say that you want to be pretty deliberate about buttons because you’ll get some separation on the button placket if you don’t place them just right.  I pinned my placket in place first so that I could figure out exactly where I wanted the snaps.  Yup, I went there…I used snaps.  I had buttons picked out but the kids wanted to help with the buttons.  My daughter chose light pink, and my son chose royal blue and orange (because, OKC Thunder, Mom!).  We went with pink, and I made a mental note to not ask my son for fashion advice in future.  I chose the mini length because I wanted to have something a little shorter for the hot weather we get here in the summertime. 

I’m pretty stoked about this dress!  It’s gorgeous in pretty much every fabric I tried.  Marisa really does go above and beyond to make sure that her patterns fit every body type and are easy to blend because, let’s face it, MOST of us are a blend of different sizes. 

Faux suede version

Like I said earlier, I’m one of the day two stops, so there are several other ladies who have joined the tour and made up some beautiful items for the tour.  Please be sure to stop in and show them some love.   This is our tour schedule for this week! After the tour has finished, you can view all of the links shown.

Laela Jeyne Patterns La Femme Collection Blog Tour

May 1

Madame Stoff - Tester Round Up

May 2

Sew Ingridd - Nini and Ash

May 3

Once Upon a Sewing Machine - Sea of Estrogen

May 4

Just Delphine - Flax Field Sewing

There’s also a coupon code that you can use on the webstore that will get you $3 off your order.  Just use the code LAFEMME.  This code is only good until May 30^th so don’t miss your chance to save some money!  You can view the entire La Femme Collection at the webstore as well to see what other patterns you need from this new collection!  There are four pieces total, and you've already seen the Victoire.  Here's a little info about the other pieces in the collection!

- Cosette blouse: sizes range from 00-26 with cup sizes for A-E, 2 sleeve options (short or 3/4), 2 collar options (Peter Pan or scarf), button back closure, no trim pattern pieces

- Lea Swimsuit: sizes range from 00-26 with cup sizes for A-E, two views: with or without lace panel, optimal rear coverage, criss cross back straps

- Josephine Dress:  sizes range from 00-26 with cup sizes for A-E, designed for medium to heavy weight knits, two views (open V-back and boatneck), princess seamed bodice

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and please be sure to visit the other stops to see what other lovelies you can make with the new La Femme Collection!

Blessings and Happy Sewing,

Kim