Handmade Grey Formal Jumpsuit

This is quite a special sewing project and I've been looking forward to taking photos of it and writing a blog post about it for a while. I don't often get the chance to sew something for a smart event but I really enjoy making formal wear. It means I get the chance to explore different sewing techniques that I wouldn't normally use and to focus on fit. Last time I made something like this was my prom dress in 2019 which is still one of my favourite and proudest makes.

I needed a few formal items of clothing to take with me to University, and so of course decided to make them. This jumpsuit is the first of those items, and it feels so fitting to be writing about it on my blog which has been a constant over the past few years. It's been a long time since I made this Coco top! Sewing has kept me grounded throughout my exams and remains an incredibly special hobby to have. I'm not sure how much dressmaking I'll be able to do next year, but I'll be able to continue wearing the clothes that I've made.

This jumpsuit wasn't actually intended from the start at all. At the beginning of summer my sister asked me to make her prom dress, and I went to Fabric Land to buy a cheap drapey fabric to use as a toile. I drafted a bodice based on what she wanted but didn't add the skirt to it as her prom was cancelled last minute. I had always planned to reuse the fabric and I really liked the bodice so decided to keep that the same. Seeing as the fabric was going to be a toile for a prom dress, it was the right weight to make a formal dress. I could have just added a gathered skirt to the bodice, but the thought of a dramatic maxi-length jumpsuit was too good not to make!

So I decided to add trousers to the bodice. I knew that I wanted them to be long and wide-legged, and I thought of the Rae Pants by Named Clothing. It's a pattern that I've wanted to make for a while and seemed to be perfect for a jumpsuit. I constructed the trousers as per the instructions but sewed the waist to the bodice rather than to a waistband. The bodice and trousers pair so well, I don't think you could tell that they weren't designed together.

The fabric I got was really cheap but it feels lovely, one of those surprisingly good Fabric Land finds! It's a viscose and drapes beautifully, something I wanted to make the most of by adding gathers to the waist seam. The trousers also have a pleats in them which work really well in this fabric.

Because my bodice was self-drafted and not intended to go with the trousers, it was really important to me that the bodice darts and trouser pleats line up to make them seem like an intentional match. My favourite detail is that the trousers lie flat between the pleats/darts and then the gathers begin after the centre panel. I think it also makes the jumpsuit smarter not to have gathers the whole way around.

I'm very proud of the jumpsuit bodice, which I self-drafted using my dress form. It always takes a while but the fit has turned out really well. Because I've used a plain fabric the darts provide interest as well as fit, and I added a centre front seam to give a similar effect. The back bodice also has two darts in it that draw it in at the waist. The risk of adding gathers was that the jumpsuit wouldn't fit so well and therefore look less smart, so having a close fitting bodice makes a big difference. The invisible zip contributes to getting a great fit and the bodice is also fully lined so the neckline and armholes are neatly finished.

The Rae Pants have a really clever design in which the slit up the centre front of each leg is hidden by the pleats. I included a slit in my prom dress too but this is such a good way to make the design a bit different. Walking in this jumpsuit feels very cool thanks to the wide legs and floaty fabric! I knew from the start that I wanted the trousers to be full length and I find it funny to think that had I made this a year ago I would have definitely made them cropped. The first long wide-legged trousers I made took a bit of getting used to but feel completely normal now. I think it's a mix of getting more confident with what I wear and changing fashion trends. 

I love this jumpsuit so much and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to make something special and different and fun! It's so strange to think that I'll be wearing it away from home, but I'm happy to be able to bring the clothes I've made with me to University.