Cover Designs #16: The Great Pretenders

Cover Designs is a feature in which I try to match up the outfit on a book cover with a dress pattern and sometimes even potential fabric matches as well.

Today's book is The Great Pretenders by Laura Kalpakian. Set in the 50s, it follows the life of Roxanne Granville, the daughter of a Hollywood producer who wants to make it on her own. From selling a script by a blacklisted author, to falling in love with a handsome African American journalist, Roxanne never shies away from controversy. If you're looking for a book full of Hollywood glamour and some more thought provoking content as well, this might be the summer read for you. 

Now on to the cover. Yellow seems to be the colour of the year, and this beautiful halter dress is right on trend. I would immediately go to View A of Butterick 5209, a vintage reissue, to copy this look. Even the pattern thinks that a wide brimmed hat is the perfect accessory for this dress.

Of course, to really carry this off you'd have to add a self-belt to the halter dress, perhaps with a belt kit like this one. And if you thought you could get away with it, maybe add some long gloves!  

To get the flow of this cover dress, a lightweight cotton voile or a more shimmery polished cotton might do the trick. Layers of cotton organdy might give the skirt a full effect like this one as well. 

This cotton lawn from Mood, in layers or lined, might give just the right lightness to this dress. And it seems like it's just about the right colour, too. 

If you want to go a little more natural or earthy, try this Essex linen cotton blend from FabricSpark. Drapy enough for garment sewing, it might give a little body to this dress -- lining essential for the bodice, though! 

Enjoy some bright summery sewing along with your summer reading!