Have fabric, which gown pattern?

[angelakaye]

I bought two kinds of fabric on sale about a year ago, and hope that this summer a friend will be able to sew them into gowns for me. She made a nice ballgown about two years ago.
I have the Sensibility "Elegant Lady's Closet" pattern, and would like to do one of the crossover style, and one... something else.

The fabric: one is a rust colored taffeta, with a slightly raised diamond pattern on it (like they pinched the fabric to make these 3"x3" diamonds/boxes). The other is a cream silk dupioni, fairly thick and nubby.

I don't want to choose a pattern that is all wrong for the fabric and end up with a dress that makes me look larger than I am, or pregnant!

Like I said, I want to do the crossover style dress for one of them and then perhaps alter the gathered dress to be just a gathered bodice with a flat front skirt? (kind of what my friend improvised for the ballgown she made before).

I'd like one of the gowns to be more... evening, perhaps to use as a ballgown (gearing up for the JASNA AGM in October), and I think the taffeta looks dressier. Would the crossover gown look good with short or 3/4 sleeves?

Any tips/advice on matching these fabrics to the right pattern?

[ushhfan]

I've been eying the crossover bodice gown for a tea. I would guess (but don't know, having not made it up yet) that that style would be more forgiving of a thicker fabric than a gathered bodice would. Personally, I'm a big fan of 3/4 sleeves but short sleeves seem to be have been a lot more popular through the bulk of the Regency and I think they would look fine with the style. You may also want to take into account that most evening gowns were of a lighter color (looks better in candlelight than darker shades). All that said, there's nothing wrong with giving a nod to personal preference!

In any case, please do post pictures when you've made your decision and completed the gown!

-uHf