Sleeveless V-Neck Button-Front Dress
A sleeveless women's dress built as a waistcoat over a skirt: a lined, V-neck waistcoat front with four buttons and pointed lower edges lies over a lower front with a waistband, a zip fly and a centre front slit. The back has princess seams, a high faced neckline, a vent and a half-belt with a buckle.
When To Wear
- At the office and business meetings, with a blouse or fine knit underneath or on its own.
- Spring and autumn, with court shoes or loafers.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted through the waist, with a straight, narrow skirt.
Length: Around the knee.
Neckline: V-neck at the front formed by the waistcoat; high round neckline at the back, finished with an interfaced back facing.
Sleeves: Sleeveless; armholes faced with the lining.
Front: Waistcoat-style upper front with princess seams, fully faced with lining and fastened with four buttons and buttonholes on the right side. It is basted over the lower front at the sides only. The lower front has darts, is underlined with lining, and is finished at the top with a two-part interfaced waistband fastened with one button.
Closure: Zip fly in the centre front seam of the lower front, topstitched on the right side; buttons on the waistcoat and waistband.
Back: Princess seams with a right and a left strap set into them, joined at the centre by a buckle; centre back seam with a vent at the hem.
Skirt: Centre front slit below the fly, edges topstitched 0.1 cm from the edge.
Finishing: 3 cm hem allowance, overlocked and hemmed with blind stitches.
Lining: Lined back (attached at the armholes and to the facing), waistcoat front faced with lining, lower front underlined.
Level Of Difficulty
Advanced. A separately lined waistcoat front layered over a skirt front, a zip fly, a vent, straps set into princess seams, and a back assembled with the lining by enclosing the front between the layers.
Fabric Recommendations
Lightweight suiting fabrics of natural or mixed fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Lining fabric
- Fusible interfacing (back facing, centre upper front, waistband pieces)
- Zip for the fly
- 5 buttons
- 1 buckle
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Center Back – 2 pieces
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Back Facing – 2 pieces
- Side Upper Front – 2 pieces
- Center Upper Front – 2 pieces
- Lower Front – 2 pieces
- Right Strap – 1 piece
- Left Strap – 1 piece
- Right Belt – 1 piece
- Left Belt – 1 piece
- From lining fabric:
- Center Back Lining – 2 pieces
- Side Back Lining – 2 pieces
- Side Upper Front – 2 pieces (cut from the main pattern piece)
- Center Upper Front – 2 pieces (cut from the main pattern piece)
- Lower Front Lining – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing:
- Back Facing – 1 piece
- Center Upper Front – 2 pieces
- Right Belt – 1 piece
- Left Belt – 1 piece
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse the corresponding pieces with fusible interfacing.
- Fold the Right Strap and Left Strap in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch along one long and one short side. Turn right side out and press.
- Stitch the center back seam together with the vent down to the hem. Press the seam allowances and the vent to the left side and serge. Machine-stitch across the top of the vent allowances. Stitch the princess seams of the back, inserting the straps. Press the seam allowances towards the center and serge.
- Stitch the princess seams of the upper front (Center Upper Front to Side Upper Front), pressing the seam allowances towards the center. Stitch the princess seams of the lining of the upper front, pressing the seam allowances towards the center. Place the lining with the main fabric, right sides together, and stitch around the perimeter, leaving the shoulder and side seams open. Clip the seam allowances at curves, trim at corners, turn the waistcoat front right side out, and press.
- Stitch the darts on the Lower Front, pressing them towards the center. Stitch the darts on the Lower Front Lining, pressing them towards the center. Serge the lower edge of the lining. Place the lining piece onto the main fabric piece, wrong sides together, secure along the edges, and treat as one piece thereafter.
- Trim the cut-on fly extension on the left Lower Front, leaving 2 cm. Serge the center front edges. Stitch the center front seam from the end of the fly down to the slit mark. Press the seam allowances open, pressing the slit. Topstitch 0.1 cm from the edge of the slit.
- Press the cut-on fly extension of the right Lower Front to the wrong side along the center front line; on the left Lower Front, press it 1 cm from the edge. Attach the zipper under the edge of the left allowance, positioning the teeth close to the fold. Pin the front halves together, matching the center lines. Attach the free zipper tape to the allowance of the right side of the closure, without catching the front fabric. Topstitch the fly on the right Lower Front.
- Press the Right Belt and Left Belt in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and serge the lower inner edges. Stitch the belt to the upper edge of the Lower Front. Stitch the ends of the belt, trim the seam allowances at the corners, and turn. Topstitch the lower serged edge of the belt into the attaching seam.
- Place the waistcoat front over the Lower Front and baste them together along the side edges.
- Stitch the lining pieces of the back similarly to the main fabric pieces. Place the lining with the main fabric and stitch the armhole edges, ending the stitch exactly at the marked side seam line. Clip the seam allowances at curves.
- Insert the front between the lining and main fabric of the back and stitch the side seams. Serge the seam allowances, press towards the back, and turn the garment right side out.
- Attach the back facing to the upper edge of the back, pressing the seam allowances towards the facing. Stitch the shoulder seams (the neck seam allowances of the back and the lower edge on the facing extend by 1 cm). Place the facing pieces right sides together and stitch the neckline. Clip the seam allowances, turn the facing to the wrong side, fold the free shoulder edge of the lower facing inwards and secure. Press the lower edge of the inner facing inwards and topstitch into the attaching seam of the outer facing, stitching the facings together in the free areas.
- Serge the lower edge of the garment, press to the wrong side, and hem with blind stitches.
- Make buttonholes on the right waistcoat front and the Right Belt. Sew the buttons on the left side.
