Vogue 9253 How to Rock this Deep V Kimono Dress like a Diva

No wardrobe would be complete in this modern era with a deep V-neck dress or top. These tops and dresses have made it to the retailers and to the sewing pattern world. One pattern company hit a home run with its deep V-neck Kimono dress, Vogue 9253. This pattern fulfills all the latest neckline trends with this tasteful and modern low neckline with a self-tie.

Vogue 9253 Patten Features

Vogue 9253 features two lengths and two sleeve options. The maker can use a stable fabric such as cotton, linen, or lightweight denim. Also recommended are stable knits with a soft hand-like jersey. While I love to sew with knits, this is a very long dress. So I chose to use a woven fabric, namely Ankara.

Ankara is a stable fabric and I’ve sewn many garments with this fabric. Not having to concern myself with learning the fabric was definitely a bonus for this deep V-neck dress pattern.

Also, most authentic African fabrics are 100% cotton, 44-45″ and unless it’s cut on the bias it doesn’t stretch much.

Pattern adjustments

Wow! This dress, Vogue 9253, is all over social media. People love this dress despite the freakishly low neckline. I can’t figure out whether I love or hate the neckline. But I wanted to sew it to see if I could successfully pull this off. It’s not a neckline I wear often. My profession is pretty conservative and with a 32DD chest, a deep V-neckline truly requires a diligent balance of style elements.

That being said, this isn’t the dress I’m wearing to work, worship services or to my grandma’s funeral. This dress is all about vacation, date night, fun at brunch with the girls, etc.

The deep V-neckline is just that–deep. For me as a petite sewist, an unaltered V9253 pattern would have put the bodice bottom edge approximately 3 inches from my belly button. After spending many hours cutting and sewing (and yes, I made a muslin), I still needed to adjust the length and shoulder seam to have a classy fit.

I’m 4’11” and I made the long version of Vogue 9253 with the long sleeves. Perfect! Also, I removed about 1.25″ at the shoulder seam and an inch at the bodice. All of this, in a quest to look like a lady and not a streetwalker. Other changes include self-made bias tape at the neckline and an invisible zipper instead of a traditional zipper.

Pros and Cons

I can appreciate that Vogue adds a little touch of edgy fashion to its patterns. Vogue 9253 is no different. The reason why makers gravitated to this pattern is that the pattern maker gives us so much to work within this kimono dress. The sleeves are hackable as are the length, tie, zipper, and pleats. I can think of a dozen ways to change up the look of this dress including changing the skirt into wide-leg pants. One could even use this pattern to turn this into a kimono robe.