Rose the One

Some months ago I saw a Dolce and Gabbana rose print swimsuit online.  It was the perfect swimsuit - the swimsuit of my dreams.  Beautiful and stylish and modest and exactly what I had been looking for.  The problem was, it had a $700 price tag.

I searched for more D&G swimsuits (self-torture) and found this one, equally as beautiful:

I wondered.  Could I make a replica?  I could sew the design, certainly.  But could I find fabric in this print?  Swimsuit fabric?  Answer - yes!

Spoonflower.com is a website where you can design your own fabric or buy fabric from other independent designers.  It can be printed on just about any type of fabric:  silk, cotton, linen, even poly nylon spandex a/k/a swimsuit fabric.  I searched for "redoute rose" and found a designer who had a print that was somewhere in between these two D&G prints and as close to exact as I could hope.

Redoute Rose Print Fabric on Spoonflower by Peacoquettedesigns

To put my suit together I used a Beverly Johnson Pin Up Girls Pattern for the top and drafted my own bottoms with the knowledge gained from Beverly Johnson's craftsy class - Make your own panties.

Here's how my knock-off version turned out*:
*I have a "no swimsuit pictures of myself on the internet" policy.  It's not because I have body issues.  I like my body.  It's because it does not empower me to show myself in swimsuit to the internet.

I loved custom drafting the bottoms.  They are exact to my measurements, so the fit is perfect.  I needed the leg cut slightly higher than the D&G version to be comfortable and the waist is lower on mine, because it is more flattering to my body shape.  I studied the photos of the D&G suit and mimicked the seaming in the back, front and sides.  The seaming adds diagonal lines that are very slimming and flatten the stomach.  Genius D&G.
My top is only similar.  I could not find a pattern that matched exactly.  I'm pleased with the fit of it and it is very comfortable. 

I ordered all my supplies from Sew Sassy Lingerie supplies.  I always use them for lingerie supplies.  They have all the linings, elastics, underwires, channeling, hooks, rings, etc.

If you've never tried making your own swimsuit, I highly recommend giving it a go.  It's a surprisingly quick and easy project and you can not only have a custom fit suit, but at a considerably lower price than $700.  In fact, all total, with fabric, supplies and even fabric and supplies for the test suit I made first, I spent about $50.

Make something beautiful!
Jen