The new designer patterns for Summer 2018 play with texture and special fabrics. Lace, seersucker, matelassé, waffle georgette, even a laser-cut textile makes an appearance.
Vogue’s summer cover look is by Nicola Finetti.
The matelassé cocktail dress with shaped hemline and flounce sleeves is from Nicola Finetti Fall 2016.
Finetti also showed a longer, front-zip version of V1587. Just trim down the A-line skirt and add a midriff panel:
This season’s backless showpiece is by Adam Andrascik for Laroche: a long-sleeved dress with front bodice drape and slim, layered skirt. Use a semi-sheer fabric for the full effect.
The original is textured silk georgette in a chartreuse-tinged shade of La La Land yellow.
Andrascik showed two takes on the backless V1589 dress. (A famously backless, ’70s Guy Laroche gown is a perennial inspiration for today’s Laroche designers. French actor Mireille Darc’s gown, worn in the 1972 comedy Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire, also informed Hilary Swank’s Oscar dress.) Here, the V1589 dress is seen backstage:
On a black, sleeveless version, bead chains dangled from silver appliques:
Judging from the pattern number, the second Laroche may have been delayed from Vogue’s spring release. From Marcel Marongiu, it’s a long-sleeved dress with contrast collar, cuffs, and curved contrast panels in front and back.
Revered American designer Claire McCardell was the inspiration for Marongiu’s last collection for Laroche. The V1577 dress was shown both long-sleeved and sleeveless:
As a grey and white coat dress, it swaps the button placket for jumbo exposed zippers:
Marongiu’s shift dress version, with giant paillettes, was featured in the Laroche advertising campaign by Steve Hiett. Hiett also photographed the V1589 dress for Spring ’17:
New from Rachel Comey: the Popcorn dress. The Comey staple is shown in Spring 2017’s seersucker.
The pullover dress works for both solids and prints—even print-mixing with contrast skirt inserts. The current version is black rayon.
In her Spring 2007 collection, presented at the Altman building during New York Fashion Week, Comey showed the dress both loose and belted.
A closer look reveals the print-mixing. There are only two prints here, with one, reminiscent of Biba’s famous banana print, in three colourways:
The Summer patterns include two lace looks from Rebecca Vallance: a cutout dress and the Dolce Vita jumpsuit. (There’s one dress left at the Outnet.) The Dolce Vita is a cropped, wide-leg jumpsuit tied with grosgrain ribbon:
The jumpsuit is from Rebecca Vallance Summer 2016.
Simplicity’s latest from Cynthia Rowley is a flounce-sleeved lace dress with two neckline variations. Choose from off the shoulder or scoop neck.
Rowley presented her Spring 2017 collection in a “feathered snow globe” at her West Village townhouse. (See WWD.) As photographed by frequent collaborator William Eadon, the S8599 dress is layered, maximalist-style, under an appliquéd satin smock:
The original dress had a contrast back bodice:
Seeing designers’ alternate looks for the Spring/Summer pattern designs, it’s striking how Vogue no longer provides variant views in their designer line, whereas for Simplicity, it’s built in to the business. But armed with reference photos, it’s easy to transform a design.
PatternVault 
I like the grey and white coat dress, and the black and print colour blocked one. A lovely design!
Thanks for this review, I enjoyed seeing the patterns in the context of the runway garments. For me, there’s nothing as each one crashes into one or other of my ‘can’t wear’ inhibitions, but as always, someone will pull them off and make a great version. The only one I might purchase would be the Cynthia Rowley dress, which would suit one of my daughters, but it’s such an easy draft. Vogues are expensive here, I look for much bang for buck. If I can draft it in half an hour myself it stays on the shelf.
Thanks for your insight and knowledge – always a fascinating read.
Thanks for this really interesting post. Knowing a bit about the context of the designs gives me a new appreciation of several of them.
What’s bugging me right now is that the blue and white Guy Laroche coatdress has very similar lines to an amazing coatdress worn by the character Liz Shaw in 70s Doctor Who and now I can’t find a good picture of the Doctor Who costume. The centre panels were done in vacuum formed plastic. Back to google 🙂
Your memory is delightful! If you search on the title “Spearhead from Space” and look at the images, Ms Shaw’s coat is an inverse of this design (and now I need to make one). This style has been roaming around for some time (the ByHand free pattern Polly top has the same design), but I think I like LIz’s coat best.
Wonderful review as always!
Enjoyed this review and the different versions of each garment. Many thanks.
Thank you, such an interesting and insightful post.
I’m so glad you showed the runway version of the Nicola Finetti. Some were absolutely outraged on social media with the short version of the dress. As if you aren’t sewing the darn thing yourself. Lengthen it!
Hi Sarah
I know it is late but I wanted to thank you for producing this blog, this one in particular is so interesting and informative. It’s good to know that Vogue patterns are fairly up to date.
Regards
Christine Taylor
Sent from my iPad
it is so interesting, thank you. Vogue patterns should enroll you!
Reblogged this on cupidgram.