We took a short trip to the Vegas strip! and I made a fancy dress for it!

It’s the Deer and Doe Magnolia, a beautiful long dress with dramatic sleeves and a font slit. I didn’t make it only because I thought I’d never wear it, but I also never thought I’d go to Las Vegas. More about the trip later, let’s get to the dress!

The dress comes in two versions and I made the long version with the deep v-neck. I sewed a size 38 with a small bust adjustment and about 5 inches removed from the length. I definitely recommend making a muslin first, especially if you’re making the low cut version. The fit needs to be spot on in the bust.

The dress is half stashed fabric, half new. This beautiful koi fish apparel cotton was locked away in my stash, like a princess in a tower, for about 2 years until the Magnolia dress rode up on a mighty steed to rescue it.

I had barely enough fish fabric (2 yards, 45″ wide) to make the skirt! I traced all the pieces to make sure they would fit. It was very close and I nearly gave up, but a little creative positioning did the trick. 2 of the 4 pieces were cut upside down!

This dress wasn’t difficult but it took much longer than I expected. I’m glad I started it well before our trip – I finished with only a couple days to spare!

The top is made from a sheer black voile which is soft and light. This version of the dress is designed to be worn without a bra, so opaqueness and softness were paramount. The front of the bodice is lined, with the second layer the fabric is fine and nothing shows through. I didn’t line the rest of the bodice, so the back and sleeves are sheer. I really love it – the sleeves especially shine!

The only thing I wish I had done differently was to tack the front V together about an inch above waist band. It’s not required but it would have made me worry less about flashing people while sitting. Standing, walking, dancing were no problem but while sitting in my theater seat before a show, I was concerned the lady to my right could see into my dress.

I love this dress! Wearing it made me feel incredible. I’ll keep it around for appropriate occasions for sure. Swapping out the deep v-neck for the more modest one would make it more of a ‘day dress’, giving a larger place in my wardrobe. I’d like to try that with a single, lightweight fabric for a summer dress. The sleeves have a perfect amount of poof; the slit allows you to walk easily and free of tangles.

The Trip

Vegas was really cool. Everything is over the top; our hotel was like a Wes Anderson Disney World.

We went to Vegas to see Robbie Williams! He’s been one of my favorite singer-songwriters for 20 years. In all that time, this was the first show he played in my country! I absolutely had to be there.

Robbie was a blast, baby! There were set changes, costume changes, pyrotechnics, dancers…it was a flashy show. I loved getting to hear him sing live (and dance!). He has a great voice and he was very entertaining. I wish I could go see it again, but the rest of the shows are all sold out! I think I was quite lucky to get a ticket at all (we had great seats, too!)

Most of our time was spent at the Wynn, but we did make a pilgrimage out to Hells Kitchen for a fab dinner (lobster risotto, beef wellingtons OMG). We were only there for a couple days, which was actually perfect. I’d love to visit again!

Thanks for reading <3