Did anyone's New Year's resolutions start off with "1. Become femme fatale"? If so, this is the pattern for you. The jacket alone would drive a good man to a life of crime, right? (And notice that all of the women in the illustration are wearing the same shoes, standard issue in femme-fatale boot camp. In fact, at femme-fatale boot camp, you sleep in four-inch heels. It builds (lack of) character.)
Sadly, my resolutions are all of the mundane kind ("achieve world domination, clean out hall closet") so this dress isn't for me. (I think, for world domination AND cleaning out the closet, you need sleeves, or else how can you roll them up to get started?)
If you do buy and make this, I would suggest staying away from black-and-red as a color combination; it's a bit cliché, fatale-ly speaking. Why not try a very deep, almost poisonous green, with a chartreuse-yellow lining to the collar? Daring and absinthe-ish, no? Or maybe a leonine gold-yellow, with a deep chocolate lining (good for brunettes). And why not two shades of pink, pale and hot? For blondes, I'd do that deep cobalt lined with a sky (or Carolina) blue. With your sapphires, of course. (Which you acquired in a slightly underhanded way. But don't worry, it's not your fault the bank went under. How were you to know that darling Mr. Wilkins was so unstable?)
If you, like me, think being a femme fatale is too much trouble, perhaps you should consider this dress instead. Much more practical.
Thanks to Jen (at MOMsPatterns, who got it from Julie at Damn Good Vintage …) for the link! Click on the image to visit the eBay auction (and to see a much bigger picture).
A Dress A Day 
OMG, I LOVE this pattern! And while my resolution was not to be a femme fatale, I do try to live according to the bombshell code. But, unfortunately, my saphires are missing–I think the boyfriend pawned them. So no blue dress for me. –Karen
LikeLike
Oh, I don’t know– I think that one might come in handy for the world domination part. (Not the closet cleaning part, though.)
LikeLike
Well, I wouldn’t be so sure about that practical dress. You should see the bustier and garters Ms. Tall is wearing…and Ms. Short *knows* it.
LikeLike
Oh, my God, the portrait collar! ::dies::The femme fatale should take a tip from Grace Kelly: ice blue. No need to tip your hand too early.
LikeLike
>>>”1. Become femme fatale”? Why yes, that was my resolution. All part of my evil plan to take over the world. So glad I found that pattern. Off to bid and put my plan in motion……Muhwahahahahahahahaha~cackles in an evil, but sexy voice~
LikeLike
we all know we would have much more occasion to wear the practical dress, and yet here we all are, desperately trying to think of SOME reason why we must have the coat, and some place we REALLY WOULD wear it. 🙂
LikeLike
Me thinks the dress made from this would spark a killer secret lives post : )F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!
LikeLike
What??? Not “World Peace”? Heavens. But, to paraphrase “Charlotte’s Web” – that is “some dress”. Being short, I could never ever wear that dress — I’ll have to find some other way to achieve world domination (Ming the Merciless?). That’s a dress that I think you’d have to be at least 5’6″ to wear gracefully – 5’8″ would be better. But, an outstanding dress, nonetheless.
LikeLike
Next year, I swear, that will be my new year’s resolution. I don’t know how it passed me by this time.
LikeLike
I have no idea where I would wear it but I have the perfect sapphire blue fabric for that dress…….and at 5’9″ could probably make it work……alas it would be covered in babyspit before world domination could be complete
LikeLike
LOVE THIS!! The skirt treatment at center back is fabulous…I so like the 2-tone aspects of the whole ensemble and your riffs on the possibilities, Erin. I just made a pieced coat with 2 reds as the repeat and 9 other solid colors–all the same cotton jacquard–and the combinations were all so delightful as I put them together. I loved them all, but the surprising ones were brown with the reds, and I smiled a lot over the ochre/olive-y fabric with red.Too fun!saidee
LikeLike
amazing! the collar on this dress is WOW WOW
LikeLike
I love that dress! I’m very short so maybe I could wear it with killer heels? I don’t know I’d just start to take over the world when I would fall on my heels and break a nail (GASP!). 🙂
LikeLike
So the answer to “where would I wear it?” is “Anywhere! Everywhere! To the grocery store, darlings!”I once borrowed a pirate coat for a student film. The man who owned it had had it for many years … but had never found a place to wear it. To me, that’s the definition of pitiful: I own glam, but I keep it permanently stashed in the closet.*sigh*This week, I am stitching floor-length and ankle-length heavy wool skirts (ruffled, etc.) so that I can meet my New Year’s hope of NO MORE PANTS. Gr, pants. Pants kill my inner diva. Unless they’re plaid, or pink leopard – both of which I own – but they don’t travel to the office very well…..
LikeLike
Color combo: Grey – the swirling London fog bank type, so thick you want to cut it,and the snap – why brilliant purple – to go with the tanzanite and diamond necklace the last “genteleman friend” gave you.This is the dress you wear the day after you win the lottery, to walk into work (where the mgr has been stealing your ideas for years) drop off your written resignation! No words to explain – the dress says it all.
LikeLike
But they’re not the same shoes. In fact, the lady in the red/black combo isn’t even wearing two of the same shoes!
LikeLike
Oh now, its all about proportions. I’m five feet and I just bet you I could wear this dress. And where, you ask? Why to dinner with my husband at the local restaurant. I’m already notorious for wearing nothing but dresses and heels. I wore flats with a sparkly party dress to a Christmas party in town and my dear lesbian friend saw me and said oh my god, you are wearing flats with a dress — alert the media!Went to a neighborhood party this summer wearing a killer halter top full skirt (built in bra) brown and white floral new but vintage looking party dress with eyeliner and mascara and 4 inch platform heels. Of course virtually everyone else had on shorts or jeans. My dear neighbor, who was there in her normal Hawaiian shirt and birkenstock sandals, called me over and said hey, that is some dress. I said well, when I go to a party, I wear a party dress! She said, well, I don’t.She’s quite wonderful and lovely, but too old to retrain, I’m afraid.Live large wherever you are, and who cares what the neighbors think, is my motto.Like when I bought my mink and my mamma said honey, where are you going to wear it?I said, to Kmart, Safeway, and the gas station, where else?Ok enough about me. I so totally covet that pattern.
LikeLike
I too would wear it everywhere…even to work!I too wear heels exclusively. I am rewriting my New Year’s resolutions. 1.) Become a femme fatale. 2). Refer back to number 1.
LikeLike
Oh, I don’t know. In this dress, you can probably stamp your 4-inch heel clad foot and DEMAND someone else clean your hall closet.
LikeLike
Oh, if only it were possible to be both a) a femme fatale and b) comfortable. I know that’s not very femmefataley, but hey, it’s my life. My Sindy doll (like Barbie only not quite so thin?), the brunette one (I had a blonde one but I cut all her hair off), had a gold lame cape with chocolate brown lining – Erin, were you secretly designing dolls’ clothes back in the 70s?
LikeLike
Ooh! The coat is simply screaming to be made in gold and black – a really luscious gold taffeta and black velvet lining. All silk of course. A true femme fatale settles for nothing less.
LikeLike
“…it builds lack of character.” You are SO FUNNY! Great post.
LikeLike
I love big dramatic collars. this is a fabulous pattern
LikeLike
UPdate UPDATE! After I saw this I went to ebay and marked it to watch. It sold yesterday for —wait for it now —-$300!!! Yes, three HUNDRED dollars.Through a fierce bidding war between two brand new ebayers.Lawd a mercy, it takes all kinds. I mean, I love the dress, but…I think I’d find something new similar (not hard to do) and futz with the pattern.
LikeLike