Some dresses are such a part of popular culture that they need no description. Julia Roberts’s Pretty Woman polka dress for watching polo. Marilyn’s white halter.
Part Hollywood history, part sewing how-to, Sew Iconic is a beautiful book from start to finish.
The book includes patterns and instructions to complete ten iconic Hollywood dresses, from to Audrey Hepburn’s little black dress as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s to Baby’s mambo dress from Dirty Dancing.
Sew Iconic begins with detailed lessons on how to sew including terms, tools, and techniques. The patterns are provided as well as the instructions for transferring the patterns and then cutting them out.
Each section opens with a few brief notes about the movie the dress was seen in, the actress who wore it, and its impact on contemporary culture. The sewing instructions are detailed and the section concludes with styling and accessorizing tips, as well as pictures of the completed project.
I’m a fairly experienced sewer, so I can’t gauge how a new sewer would be able to handle the projects. To me, the instructions seemed detailed enough so that even the most novice of sewers would be able to complete the simpler dresses and build up their confidence to the more elaborate patterns.
Ten years ago (at least) my daughter made the black and red lace dress that Kate Winslet wore as Rose in Titantic. It was a big undertaking but between the two of us, it turned out beautifully. So my experience with Hollywood sewing is that it is very accessible to us non-Hollywood types.
We may not live in Hollywood, but who says we can’t dress like the stars? Sew Iconic makes it possible.
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Disclaimer: I received a free digital edition of Sew Iconic for review purposes. It did not influence my review in any way, but a published copy with the patterns might. Just kidding.
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