Some fabrics are meant to be worn at night, and I believe this shimmery metallic boucle from Mood Fabrics is certainly one of them.
I bought the fabric at the NYC store in November 2012, and admired it at home for over a year while waiting for a vision to appear. Perhaps, a coat, a suit, or another French jacket……
And then - it came upon a midnight clear 
After nearly three weeks of no sewing I was eager to make something festive and chose the classic Butterick 5588 pattern as my base (available on Etsy).
Since the fabric is relatively heavy I wanted to avoid bulky darts as well as fullness and believed the princess seams would compliment the fabric. I completed a full muslin in View B before cutting the shoulders off of the front, gradually angling to the underarm.
I used the lower edge of the side back as my guide and cut straight across the back.
After tweaking the fit until the dress was tight enough to wear strapless, I added 1 ¼” straps to increase the comfort level.
Would you believe I looked for a complimentary trim for over a year?
Nothing seemed to pop to my novice eye, but last week while browsing through the winter wonderland of festive clothes at Nordstrom, I noticed the Alice + Oliva Boxman jacket seen below…
… and realized I had my own trim waiting at home.
Pulling the neutral-color threads from a 1 ¾” strip of fabric resulted in a metallic fringe. After the dress was completed, I attached the fringe by hand around the top of the bodice. I was tempted to add it to the straps and around the bottom, but thankfully good judgment prevailed.
My new party dress is lined with this China silk also purchased at Mood .
It’s true, the fabric is lovely during the day …..
but it truly comes to life when the sun goes down!
If only I could do the same!
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la 