How To Draft the Viral Givenchy Ruffled Lace Dress From Scratch- PART 1

Draft a Pattern for This Viral Givenchy Ruffled Lace Mini Dress: A step-by-step instruction.

This is probably the dress of the summer. It was made viral in the online sewing community by this Instagram Reel and many sewists have gone ahead to replicate the £8000 dress.

In this step-by-step tutorial, I show you how to draft the pattern from scratch using your own measurements. If you are a sewist with little or no patternmaking experience and are up for a challenge, this tutorial is for you.

If, however, you have no interest in patternmaking and would prefer to work from an existing pattern, a couple of indie sewing pattern designers have released patterns based on or inspired by this Givenchy dress. Links to those patterns are included towards the end of this blog post.

To make the process more accessible to sewists and patternmaking enthusiasts with little or no patternmaking experience or a library of pattern blocks, I begin by drafting a very basic block and build the design from there. All you need is about six body measurements!

I have tested the pattern in 3D to assess the hang and silhouette, and made a number of revisions based on the virtual samples. However, I have not sewn, and do not intend to sew, a physical sample, as the style is not exactly my cup of tea. If you decide to use this tutorial, I recommend making a muslin or test garment in inexpensive fabric before cutting into your good/expensive fabric.

Also, I do not have sewing instruction for this dress and do not intend to write one.

About the Dress and its Features

The original dress comes in two versions- in lace and in duchess satin. Below are the features that I can make out:

• An above-the-knee tent dress with significantly more fullness at the back to create the cape-like silhouette.
• A gathered or pleated ruffle with netting/tulle layers underneath to enhance fullness and support the shape. The netting/tulle may be may be omitted.
•  A slimmer-fitting lining.
• Narrow straps. The straps can be lengthened and tied at the shoulders, or made adjustable using bra sliders and rings.
•  An invisible side zipper. You can totally skip this, as the style appears loose enough to be pulled on over the head.
• Inseam pockets.
•  The proportion of the bodice section to the ruffle is approximately 3:2. The lining is approximately 3-4” (7.5-10 cm) shorter than the outer garment, while the netting/tulle extends to about half the depth of the ruffle.
•  No visible darts or pleats.
• The original garment appears to be made from a relatively stiff lace fabric and its variation in duchess satin. However, it can also be made in breathable cotton fabrics. Keep in mind that fabric weight, and drape will significantly affect the appearance, volume, and hang of the finished garment.

Tools and Supplies

While this tutorial and the full-size pattern for 3D-sampling have been created digitally, the same process can be followed manually. The tutorial and diagrams have been geared towards traditional hand-drafting using paper, pencils, and rulers. 

•  Paper: Any of out craft paper, dotted paper, tracing paper, bond paper, or even newspaper.
•  Pencils: H or F pencils for guidelines and construction lines, and an HB pencil for the final pattern outline.
•  Eraser
•  Straight Rulers: A straight ruler, metre rule, right-angle ruler for squaring corners, and a tape measure.
•  Curved Rulers: A flexible curve ruler, French curve, or similar curved ruler. Alternatively, curves can be drawn freehand by first plotting points with a straight ruler and then blending them smoothly with a pencil.
•  Paper Scissors
• Adhesives: Masking tape for temporarily joining paper pieces and a glue stick for permanently securing them together.

Measurements Needed

‎My method uses a combination of directs measurements and proportions, so you take only the essential measurements and we deduce the rest. The measurement needed are as follows:

1. Across Back Shoulder (ABK)

2. Chest / Upper Bust / High Bust Circumference (CHST)3. Full Bust Circumference (BUST)4. Centre Back Length (CBL): measured from the nape of the neck to the waistline at the back.5. Dress Length (DRL): measured from the pit of the front neck to the desired hem level.6. Bust Span (SPAN): measured from bust apex to bust apex. This measurement is needed to locate the dart apex and is typically 6–8” (15–20 cm).7. Hip Circumference (HIP): required to ensure the lining has sufficient ease through the hip area, as the lining is designed with a slimmer fit than the outer garment.

PART 1: CREATING THE FOUNDATION/BLOCK

FI GURE 1.1

FIGURE 1.2

STEP 1

Get a sheet of paper that is 2" (5 cm) wider than half of your Full Bust Circumference, with a length approximately 60% of your Dress Length from front neck-pit to hem (DRL) plus 8" (20 cm).
Draw a straight horizontal line and a perpendicular vertical line at the left-hand corner of the paper, positioned about 1" (2.5 cm) down from the top edge and 1" (2.5 cm) in from the left edge.

STEP 2

Point A is the intersection of the two lines drawn in Step 1.

STEP 3

A to B: Measure across a distance equal to half of your Full Bust circumference.

STEP 4

A to C: Measure down (Chest Circumference ÷ 16) + 1½” (4 cm). This vertical measurement establishes the front neck depth.

Draw a perpendicular guideline across from point C, no longer than 6” (15 cm).

STEP 5

C to D: Measure down 60% of the Dress Length (DRL).

Note: This block does not include the ruffle section, which accounts for the remaining 40% of the dress length.

STEP 6

D to E: Draw a perpendicular line parallel to A–B and equal in length to A–B.

STEP 7

E to B: Complete the rectangle by drawing a vertical line from E to B.

STEP 8

F to G: Locate the midpoint of A–B and label it F.

Locate the midpoint of D–E and label it G.

Connect F to G. This line becomes the side seam and divides the draft into the front and back sections.

STEP 9

A to H: Measure down (Centre Back Length ÷ 2) + 2” (5 cm). This vertical measurement establishes the bust depth.

Draw a perpendicular line across from point H to meet line E–B. Label this line the Bust Line.

STEP 10

Point U: Label the intersection of the Bust Line and line F–G as U.

STEP 11

B to I: Measure down 1¾” (4.5 cm). This is a constant value for all sizes and establishes the back neck depth.

Draw a perpendicular guideline from point I towards the left, no longer than 6” (15 cm).

FIGURE 1.3

Focus On the Front

STEP 12

 A TO J: (Chest Circ ÷ 16) + ¾" (2 cm).
Draw a perpendicular vertical guideline from J.

STEP 13

A TO K: Half of the Across Back Shoulder measurement. This is a horizontal measurement to establish the front shoulder width.

STEP 14

 K TO K1: 1¾" (4.5 cm), a constant vertical measurement to establish the shoulder slope/drop.

STEP 15

 K1 TO J: Connect K1 to J to draw the block shoulder line.

STEP 16

C TO J: Draw the front neck curve from C to J using the guidelines.

STEP 17

K TO L: ³/₈" (1 cm), a constant horizontal measurement.

STEP 18

 L TO L1: Draw a vertical armhole guideline from L to the bust line, and label the point where it intersects the bust line as L1.

STEP 19

 POINT L2: Measure 2" (5 cm) upward from L1 and mark the point as L2.

STEP 20

 K1 TO L2 TO U: Draw the front armhole curve by connecting points K1, L2, and U.

Focus on the Back (a repeat of steps 12 to 20 but on the back half)

STEP 21
B TO M: (Chest Circumference ÷ 16) + ¾" (2 cm), a horizontal measurement used to establish the back neck width. Draw a perpendicular vertical guideline no longer than 3" (7.5 cm).

STEP 22
B TO N: Half of the Across Back Shoulder measurement, a horizontal measure to establish the back shoulder width.

STEP 23
N TO N1: 1¾" (4.5 cm), a constant vertical measure to establish the back shoulder slope/drop.

STEP 24
N1 TO M: Connect N1 to M to draw the back shoulder line.

STEP 25
I TO M: Draw the back neck curve from I to M using the guidelines.

STEP 26
N1 TO P: ³/₈" (1 cm), a constant horizontal measure for all sizes.

STEP 27
P TO P1: Draw a vertical armhole guideline from P to the bust line, and label the point where it intersects the bust line as P1.

STEP 28
POINT P2: Measure 2" (5 cm) upward from P1 and mark the point as P2. This is a constant vertical measure for all sizes.

STEP 29
N1 TO P2 TO U: Draw the back armhole curve by connecting points N1 and U through point P2.

STEP 30
H TO X: Half of the Bust Span measurement.

This brings us to the end of Part 1, where we created a very basic block. In the next posts in this series, we will move on to Part 2, where we will carve out the preliminary dress shapes; Part 3, where we will slash, spread, and create the pattern pieces for the main fabric; and finally, Part 4, where we will create the lining pattern pieces and prepare a cutting layout.

If making your own pattern for the Givenchy Ruffled Mini Dress interests you, stay tuned as I publish the remaining posts between now and next week. If you would like immediate access to the complete step-by-step instructions, you can download them for a small fee here. The download also includes an Excel spreadsheet that automatically calculates the values for each step based on your measurements.

If making your own pattern is not for you, you can check out these sewing patterns from SisterMag Patterns and Grace Margaret Studios, both inspired by the viral Givenchy mini ruffled dress in lace.

Before I sign off, I am curious: what are your thoughts on this dress? Do you love it, hate it, or fall somewhere in between? Is it a timeless statement piece or simply the dress of the moment? Have you already made your own version, or are you planning to? Let me know in the comments. And if you do decide to use this tutorial, feel free to tag me (or share with me) your progress and finished make. I would love to see it!