Comfort is key during the summer, especially when it’s hot as hell like it is in NJ these days. Not only is it hot, but it’s also muggy. I don’t know about you, but I want to be cool and comfortable as possible these days. This John Kloss maxi dress is about as cool and comfortable as you can get without being naked.
I actually made this dress last spring and forgot to photograph it. I wore it to dinner on my birthday last March. You know back when we could have dinner at a nice restaurant in the city.
There is a weird history to this dress. I saw a dress just like this in an issue of Coastal Living, and of course had to have one just like it. So I began searching, and searching, and searching until I found this pattern by John Kloss.
Now I don’t claim to know a lot about designers, and I had never heard of John Kloss. So, I did some digging. His designs were popular in the 60s & 70s and he was supposedly “discovered” by Henri Bendel. He was most known for his lingerie and loungewear, like this maxi dress. A man who designs loungewear…what more could you want?
Pattern – John Kloss Maxi Dress
The pattern is so simple. It’s just two pattern pieces. Anyone can make this dress…I mean it…anyone. And because it’s designed for knits its very forgiving. There are a few different options for the neckline. I originally wanted the crisscross option, but when I tried the dress on after I made it looked weird on me.
For whatever reason when I cut the pattern the front ended up being longer than the back. I don’t know if it has something to with the way the neckline gathers in the front, or because you cut the fabric on the bais, and it might have stretched. I’m not sure. Anyway, I had to get creative with the hem.
Initially I figured I would just hem it easy peasy. However, you need 5 yards of fabric to make this dress so the amount of fabric became overwhelming. Everytime I trimmed it and hemmed it, it was still crooked. Then I accidently cut one side of it shorter than I wanted and my maxi dress became a midi dress. Now, not only did I have to even out the hem, I also had to figure out how to add more length. My solution was to add a ruffle, and luckily I had enough to make one.
Fabric – John Kloss Maxi Dress
I bought this fabric at fabric.com about 3 summers ago. I know buying fabric online can be a gamble. The colors never look the same and you just don’t know what you’re going to get. This fabric is a perfect example of that.
Maybe the screen on my computer is really bad, it is an older laptop. Maybe I was drunk when I bought the fabric, but I swear this fabric looked totally different online.
When I looked at this online the gray flowers looked white and what I thought was red is more of an orange. The rest of the fabric is black, but it’s not. It’s actually navy blue, but probably the darkest navy blue I have ever seen. I realized this when I wore this out for my birthday dinner. When I made the tie I used a piece of black bias tape. It wasn’t until I put the dress on I realized the strap didn’t match the fabric.
All that being said I wasn’t too disappointed with the fabric. It was only $5/yard, and the dress is so very, very comfortable.
On a side note this picture below makes me laugh. I look like John Travolta doing the strut.
I haven’t made a lot of maxi dresses. Not really sure why, although I do tend to trip on them because, I’m not very graceful. I think the closest I’ve come is this caftan. It’s not knit but it’s very comfortable and super cute!
Styling
Not a lot of styling is needed for this. It makes a big statement on it own. Just a pair of orangey red strappy sandals and jean jacket in case you get cold.
Thanks for reading. Whatever you are up to I hope you have a great weekend!
Photos by – Chloejane Photo + Film