So, here, finally, is the Darth Vader fabric Duro. It's not really pressed, and until I uploaded the picture I didn't realize it wasn't straight on my mannequin, but, nevertheless, here it is.
I showed it to Mr. Dress A Day last night, and his reaction was, "Well, the houndstooth certainly distracts from the Darth Vader heads." (Mr. Dress A Day sometimes has a hard time ginning up the appropriate amount of enthusiasm for my sartorial flights of fancy.)
I am very pleased with the houndstooth, because the background isn't white — it's gray, like the Darth Vader heads, as you can almost/maybe see here:
I like that I could use this fabric in a Duro, because what I'm really hoping for is the double-take. That it just looks like an abstract print at first, and then suddenly there's the realization, that no, it's not abstract, it's DARTH VADER. (And then they find an excuse to move away from the obviously unbalanced woman in the Star-Wars-themed dress.)
If I were really ambitious (or really a lot more geeky than I am right now) I'd find one of those Darth Vader-breathing chips that were in the magazine ads for the re-release of the first trilogy, and keep it my pocket to jolt that realization, for people slow on the uptake. But I won't. Or, at least, I probably won't.
Here's a closeup of the bodice, just because:
And, yes, I know, that in the movie Vader really says "No, I am your father," with no "Luke" in there at all. How do I know this? I looked it up.
A Dress A Day 
Awesome! The Force would def be with you in this combo…LUST it.
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Brilliant. Any special occasions you plan to wear this for?
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I recognized those Darth Vader heads before I read your text. I’d love to follow you around the day you wear it.
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oh my goodness…I took my son to the Boston Science Musuem in October of 05 for the opening of the Lucas Films Exhibit…I would have LOVED to have worn this dress!Thank you for sharing…..
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Please accept this in the spirit of AWESOMENESS in which it is intended:You would totally be the Queen of All Nerds in that dress!!
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I do believe this is my favorite of all your dresses that you’ve shown! Probably because these are my colors AND it looks so comfy! This has got to be the best use of this fabric ever–I doubt even the designer conceived of it in a grown woman’s dress.
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Awesome dress! Can you please remind us which pattern you use for your fabulous Duros? I know you’ve said before but I’m having a hard time locating it in your archives. Thanks in advance!
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I am sorry but this dress is absolutly horrible. I love reading your blog everyday, mainly because I love the vintage patterns that your feature. Also alot of what you showcase I do love. But this is horrible, and whoever wore it would look like nothing more than a joke. I am all for having fun with clothing and fabric, but come on…
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it’s perfect!!!
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The Duro pattern is McCalls 5137 — here’s a link:http://www.dressaday.com/2006/05/whats-product-cycle-time-at-mccalls.html
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Has anyone pointed out that Duro is not just the name of designer Duro Olowu, it’s a Star Wars planet? That’s what I found out just now when trying to learn more about the designer (whose own website is sparse) at http://www.wikipedia.org. Type in “Duro” and you get nothing for Duro Olowu, but a whole paragraph on the planet and its people.
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One thing I’ve noticed the most about upper end fashion is they keep telling me how ‘witty’ the clothes are. Well, I’m sorry, they aren’t that ‘witty’.Your Darth Vader dress – ok – I have to tell you – THAT IS WITTY! The houndstooth contrasts very well with the unexpected Darth Vader fabric, and actually makes one do a complete double-take.Darth Vader heads are **not** expected on any clothing that I’m aware of (other than the obvious).Well Done Entirely! I think a dress like this would be ideal to document. Have someone follow you for the day, and photograph reactions and take notes.What a wonderful dress – so unexpected! Bravo!!!!!
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Ah Ha! Success! A double-take is EXACTLY what I did when I first looked at the picture. Success!
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I don’t have the words to adequately convey the sheer delight I feel for this dress. It is perfect. It looks like a perfectly serious Duro, the patterns and colors work beautifully together, but it is DARTH VADER HEADS. Love it, love it, love it. (I linked to this post in my LJ (downloaded the photo to my galleries to save you bandwidth) — let me know if any of that is a problem.)
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I do like the double-take aspect, but then it’s over. This is a one-wearing dress. Wear it once and you’re witty; twice, and you’re a nerd. Please report in detail on your experiences on the day of its debut (and swan song).
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Awesome! I remember that fabric from your first post about it and love seeing it made into something. Please, please be sure to tell us what wonderful reactions you get when you wear it! :)*And I happen to have a leftover Darth Vader breathing chip from Halloween . . .
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What a great dress! I had one of my best laughs of the week at the witty ingenuity displayed there-in. What fun you will have wearing it!
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Slightly off-topic… I spotted my first cheapo-Duro knock-off the other day at Kohl’s. Daisy Fuentes line. Not a bad rendition, actually. They really went for it with the clashing prints, which I thought was a daring move for the hallowed halls of mass-market Midwest discount shopping.
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Eeek! How wonderful. I wish this is fabric I could buy too, I’d love to make a pussy-bow blouse with it. Ah well, I shall be happy just to know this dress is out there. đŸ˜‰
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Since you posted about the fabric I have been eagerly anticipating the results. – its awesome. May the force be strong within you when you wear this!
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I love it! Wear it well.
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I don’t think this will be a one-wearing dress. ADAD readers are interested in dresses and fabric, and pay attention. Unless Erin sat in front of someone at a boring conference, I imagine most people won’t “see” the Darth Vader heads.
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I love it! Who cares what other people think as long as you have fun wearing it. I recognized the fabric immediately from a previous post. I am trying to find Teenage Mutant Ninja fabric(must of it is too busy to cartoonish. Is to much to hope for to find a less flashy TMNT fabric?)I want to make a dress to wear when I go see the new CGI movie (who’s the nerd now?) and of course it will sufficiently embarrass my 17 year old son who agreed to accompany his 41 year-old-die-hard-turtle-fan mother to opening day at the theater. I usually try not o embarass him. I’ll make it up to him by making a fleece Yoda blanket for him.
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I agree with those who said it was a delightful use for this fabric. I would wear it with joy anytime you like! You show great style by pairing it with the houndstooth–artistic!!Love it, love it, LOVE IT!!
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The movie was on HBO last night, so I was really in the mood to see this dress. I hope you get one of those chips. That would be hilarious. Or, you could walk around with a tank and regulator on all day. yeah, right.Anyway, well done. It’s fantastic.
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OMG.The geeky dork in me is in love with your dress.Just perfect.
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Omigosh! Oprah attended Vanity Fair’s Oscar party in a very Duro-looking dress! (And looked fantastic, IMHO.) Here’s a link to the photo: http://perezhilton.com/upload/2007/02/the_big_o_putting_on_a/thebigo.jpgAnd P.S., I would love to have a shirtdress in that Darth Vader fabric.
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Inventive and VERY cool! Holly
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I say go all the way! Get the breathing aparatus.
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Great dress. Come back to Los Angeles soon because it is the perfect dress to wear to this: http://www.californiasciencecenter.org/Exhibits/Weingart/starwars/starwars.php(Sorry, but I don’t know how to create an clickable link.) You could take pictures of yourself in this dress standing next to the original Darth Vader costume.
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I agree with people who think this is fantastic, clever, and awesome. I’m not a huge SW fan, though I did enjoy the movies. I also think you could get away with wearing this dress multiple times, because I don’t think the Darth Vader heads would stand out unless someone really looked… and most people don’t look at fabric. I think you’d get a lot of double takes!
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I’m not sure how I feel about the dress, but I think it’s cool how many of you love it!What I really enjoyed was the link to the quotations and leaning about all the quotes I misquote. I’m an English teacher, not a Star Wars fan!
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I love this! Darth Vader is the perfect choice I don’t know why I passed it up in the fabric store. I’ve had the pattern for ages but never got around to making it. Now I’m pregnant and wondering if I can make the hemline longer in front because this dress would still be comfortable for maternity wear, IMO.
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Spring, my suggestion to you is that you might want to consider making your Duro with a series of tucks in the front section only of the skirt hem, above the bottom band. (Yes, this means the tucks will taper towards the side seams, which means you’re making dart-shaped tucks.) That way, as your tummy increases in size, you can unpick the tucks/darts as needed to keep your hemline even at the bottom.And as for lorraine’s assertion that if Erin wears the dress twice, she’s a nerd … First of all, I disagree. (Of course, I once made a Missouri Riverboatman’s Shirt out of a calico printed with tiny skulls.) Second of all, even if it were actually true …So what? The great thing about being an adult (“grown-up” is flexible, at least for me), is you can decide what you care about, and what you don’t. Who gets to decide Erin “looks like a nerd?” Who sets the standards? My vote for the dress is “witty,” for what it’s worth; in truth, though, only Erin’s vote should count. And even if, God forbid, it’s true that it makes her look like a “nerd,” that is so far from being the worst thing that could be said about someone, it’s not even in the same galaxy. (It’s actually in a galaxy far, far away…) There are worse things that could be said, even about the way someone dresses. “Dull” would be a more painful label, IMO. Of course, if I’d made the Darth Vader Head Dress, there’s every possibility I would have used bunnies or kittens in the corresponding print. And I’d have made a matching hat, because a Darth Vader Head Dress Headdress would’ve been irresistible.I confess, though, to a certain dislike of “quiet good taste;” it’s too easy, IMO, for “quiet good taste” to slip right over into coma territory, with a toe-tag hovering on the horizon, unless it’s leavened with style, wit and humor.
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Awesome.And get the gizmo. You know you want to.
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Like your spectacular Heart-themed dress, this one has a special place as well. Artistically, this works as a combination of wimsy and a classic– hounds Tooth, with an “in season” color theme of black and white (actually gray). For an artist that enjoys Duros and Stars Wars–absolutely!
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a “nerd” … is so far from being the worst thing that could be said about someoneI did not intend “nerd” to be a derogatory term. In fact, I think that being a nerd is a good thing as long as you’re content with your nerdiness (as opposed to, say, someone who longs to be a fashionista and can’t get it quite right). So, if Erin is happy being a Star Wars nerd, she should go for it and wear it often. But if she’s after the double-take shock factor, it’s only going to last so long until her peers start referring to her as “that chick with the Star Wars dress.”Yes, la bella, “dull” would be a worse comment. And I would never consider this dress dull.
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OMG! This is AWESOME. My students would flip if I wore this to class. You rock, Erin!
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Spring, if I recall from my last pregnancy, maternity dresses don’t necessarily have longer hems in the front; instead they gravitate towards high waistlines (like a duro!) and extra fullness in the front (like a duro!) So another thing you can do is, when you’re cutting out the front skirt panel, lay the ‘fold line’ a couple of inches away from the fold of the fabric, and when it’s gathered you should have a nice little belly pouch. LBD’s suggestion with the darts would probably work better but I thought I’d throw that out there.And I have to chime in with all the ringing endorsements of this dress. The fabric’s neutral colors make it subtle enough that you could wear it multiple times and not look like a novelty act. It would be just the thing for Casual Friday.I think that someday for Dress-a-Day readers, the phrase “Darth Vader Duro” will become synonymous for “you either love it or you hate it.”
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If possible, I would hire you to make me a duplicate. If that is not possible, then if possible, I would warp into your closet (via the secret warp hole in my closet) and “borrow” it. Since neither is really possible, I will admire, envy, and perhaps revenge, by making one of my own…
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I vote witty. Besides, the dress is actually pretty understated – not what one pictures when someone says “houndstooth Darth Vader dress” anyway. Wear it in good health.
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Erin,For those of us who are relatively new to your blog, can you define “Duro”?Thanks!
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Erin, all I can say is I LOVE YOU!Awesome, awesome dress.
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Erin,You, that dress, a rainy day, a this:http://geeksugar.com/150787
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I confess, though, to a certain dislike of “quiet good taste;” it’s too easy, IMO, for “quiet good taste” to slip right over into coma territory, with a toe-tag hovering on the horizon,Being a self-proclaimed member of the “quiet good taste club”, I was (am?) a bit unsettled by La Bella Donna’s comment. Firstly, because I’m not looking forward to slipping into coma, and secondly. . .because I thought this dress was quiet good taste. (Except, as the voice of dissent, I really don’t think the houndstooth works. It seems to clash; I’d have used a solid [or appearing to be solid] black or gray. And the neckline is too low for me.) I mean, I’m young enough that “Darth Vader” is a classic. He might have even been around for longer than I have, and everyone knows who he is. Here, his presence is muted, not over-powering, and the dress has clean, simple, balanced lines. When it all comes down to it, I think “style” is not about the clothes, but how the clothes are worn. Simply seeing someone wearing this dress wouldn’t cause any adverse reaction in me. . .but if said person was wearing black patent leather boots and Darth Vader Head earrings–then I might start edging in the other direction. Until then, it’s just a fun, comfortable dress that anyone who doesn’t take themselves too seriously can wear without shame.
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I meant to also say that I think “Darth Vader” is pretty much a part of common culture, not nerdiness. The very fact that everyone will recognize him (and will know what Erin’s title is referring to) is proof of that.Now, looking up quotes for the exact words of Vader might be a sign of nerdiness, but that’s a whole ‘nother can of worms.
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I would like to rent the secret warp hole in Stephanie’s closet and use it for storage space. Desperately.Tatterdemalion, I certainly didn’t mean to unsettle you, or to impugn your choice(s)! Heh. If you think this dress is “quiet good taste,” I don’t think you actually have to worry about sliding into coma territory! It is, however, my fault for expecting people to know what was going on in my brain without my actually putting it on paper. The kind of “quiet good taste” that I find disturbing is the kind that’s usually used as a bludgeon by people upon those whose tastes differ from theirs; the kind that comes with a smug sense of superiority attached like a safety chain. It doesn’t seem as if that would be something you suffer from! I’ve seen and heard too many pundits (usually self-proclaimed pundits) behave as if “good taste” was synonymous with “One True Religion” – and, of course, their religion, at that. I don’t think you mind us heretics -even if we wear boots with Darth Vader Duros. đŸ˜‰
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My husband absolutely loves this print. You never know what you may find, with the force!
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Patent leather boots, at that! No, I don’t find clothing taste to be a religion (and certainly not “One True Religion”). I like it best when it varies from person to person. One of my favorite things to do is look at a pattern or garment and think “Oh! That is so (insert name of friend here)!”–to see something that is totally not my choice or style, and be completely delighted with it anyway because it is perfect for someone else I know and love. It’s like seeing personality, almost, and you can admire and enjoy personalities that you aren’t yourself.I don’t think that I myself would wear a Darth Vader Duro, actually. But it makes me smile every time I see it, because it reminds me of personalities of people I enjoy being with. And, in my opinion, making people smile with good memories is in perfectly good taste. Hopefully that last statement reconciles and explains both my desire to be alive (and not slip off into a coma) and to dress with quiet (not in-your-face) good taste.
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Its so wrong you’ve inspired me to send a link to this to my rabid Star Wars fan and ex-husband. So wrong…….Ang
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