Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Finished Named Shane Top (and Review)

Note as of  2/3/2014: Please see the update on the Named Clothing blog - click here and here. They have made/are making changes that address some of the issues I point out in this review of their pattern.  What a great response from Named to their customers' concerns.

So, here's what I spent my spare time on Thanksgiving weekend sewing.





It's the Shane Pleated top by Named Patterns. Yes, I did it. I sewed an indie pattern.




I'm really liking this. The volume created by the neck pleating on both the front and back is a lot for me, but I love how it is balanced by the bareness of the sides.

When I asked Phin which of the many options for what to wear underneath it he thought worked best, the conversation went like this:

Clio: How about this tank top?

Phin (looking up from laptop): tape

C: What about this lacy cami?

P (quick glance up): Tape!

C: How about this lacy bra?

P (barely bothering to look up): Taaaape!

C: How about this snake skin bandeau?

P (puts laptop aside in frustration): TAPE!

So, um, here it is, with tape. (We here at Clio & Phin believe that virtually all red carpet wardrobe malfunctions can be prevented... with tape.)


Tape. You get the picture now, yes?

Although fashion tape will keep the sides in place, they are still incredibly bare. Seriously. So, while I do love this look for very elegant evening affairs, I think you have to be careful with it. Much more often than not, this top will be worn with a cami or snakeskin bandeau underneath it. Like so:
 

Bandeau and trouser option.



My only quibble is that the bandeau creates a bit of uniboob. Oh well.  I actually think this top would be fantastic on the smaller-of-bust. Perhaps even better than on me.





I used stretch silk from Chic Fabrics in two different colors - red and gold - for this top. It gets aces for drape, but I think it might have been a bit too heavy. The weight of the pleats make the neckline roll slightly outward despite understitching. I'm not really fussed about it because you can already see the lining at the sides by design. Anyway, if I was going to sew it again, I'd use something lighter weight - crepe de chine, chiffon or habotai would all be good options.




I haven't quite figured out how to wear this casually yet. I'd love to put it on with jeans and a cami, but all of my jeans sit below the waist, leaving a 2-3" gap between jeans and top. 

Anyway, I promised honesty in my indie pattern reviews. So here goes.

There is a lot to like about this pattern. I'm sort of impressed.  First off, there are separate lining pieces rather than the cop-out of telling you to just sew two of the same and hoping that the bulk will work itself out at the neckline. And the lining is drafted slightly smaller than the shell, which helps it pull the seams slightly to the inside at the armscyes to prevent lining from rolling out, even though the pattern is designed to show off the lining.




In addition, the crazy mohawk at the top of the shell completely lines up and creates a really smooth neckline once you fold and sew in the pleats. I admit it: I was somewhat skeptical that it would work out. Again, good drafting. Helpfully, the stitching lines are drawn onto the pattern pieces as well.


Crazy mohawk to smooth neckline

Edited on 12/11:  I should add that the pattern markings were good. Pleats, lining darts and armscye joins were all clear and accurate.

Also, sewing the size that corresponded to my high bust measurement seems to have worked out, although I would consider going a size larger in the future or doing an FBA for a little extra side coverage. However, you only get two sizes of the pattern when you purchase it, and the seam allowances are only 3/8". This is ok it but doesn't leave much wiggle room if you have to let it out or go up or down in sizing. The only change I made to the pattern was to take in the side seams by 1/2" (total of 2" less circumference) so that the top nipped in a little at the waist. This created a bit of needed shape on my figure and, if you can believe it, made the arm holes a little smaller.

And with that, unfortunately, we segue into what I didn't like.

The biggie is the instructions. There is no other way to say it: they are BWTF-worthy. Honestly, this is a pretty straight forward top to sew, but I can see how a beginner would easily be lost in the woods. There are no illustrations and some language/translation issues. I had to put on my Burda thinking cap for finishing the armholes. The instructions were either incomprehensible or incorrect. I'm not sure which. I tried to follow them but turned my top into a water weenie-esque tube. After undoing several seams, I followed these instructions for machine finishing a sleeveless dress over at Green Apples. It worked beautifully.

My other issues are not related to sewing, but impact my experience nonetheless. They are:
  • Just 2 sizes when you purchase. This is fine for a top, but with any pattern that has to fit my top and bottom, I normally bridge 3 sizes. Not ideal.
  • Patterns are formatted for A4 letterhead. This is NOT a standard size in the US and certainly not one that most of us keep in stock. Fortunately, my employer is British and I am not above stealing from work using scrap paper from the recycle bin. But large scale formatting or US letterhead formatting would have been appreciated.
  • The pattern pieces are overlapping a la Burda. So, after you print and tape them together, you then have to trace them off, too. Annoying.
  • The price. I paid $20.75 for this top. For the price, I could have bought any Colette, Sewaholic or Deer and Doe pattern - all of which are paper patterns and include illustrated instructions. Other digital downloads are not this expensive.

So, I guess my overall assessment is that this is a good pattern, but not user-friendly for the North American audience and overpriced compared to their peers. I hope that Named will fix some of these issues as they grow since I do like their designs, but have little incentive to be a repeat customer given the cost and hassle.  Honestly, they would have to put out a pattern that I really felt I couldn't find in my Burda collection for me to buy again soon. 


That said, I do really love this top.

37 comments:

Clio said...

This looks great on you! It's so lovely!

Clio said...

I agree that only two sizes is ridiculous. I don't mind the overlapping as it cuts down on printing and taping, and I'm a tracer anyway. I'm British so the A4 thing isn't an issue, but that's being parochial as they should have both.

Clio said...

I think this top would look amazing styled with a simple shirt beneath it, and an obi belt over it. It would also solve the problems related to underwear, and perhaps you could wear it with jeans like this. I really like how the color looks against your skin and vice versa.

Clio said...

You did it!! I love this color on you... and the tape is kind of awesome! I'm totally not okay with not wearing a bra though!
I've been hearing lots of other pretty negative things about the instructions, which really stinks since I love their jeans pattern! I'm hoping more people (like you) will tackle the patterns so I can learn from their mistakes before I give them a go :)

Clio said...

Any one of those things doesn't bother me much. But all of them together and combined with the instructions makes me wonder if they are thinking about the customer experience. They've drafted a great pattern and I hope will make a few improvements to make the customer experience - from selecting to printing to taping/tracing to the sewing process - a bit better. My fingers are crossed for this brand!

Clio said...

Thanks so much. I love red, especially at the holidays!



I really just have to play around with my wardrobe and try a bunch of things - tops to wear under it and a few different jeans and belts. I'd love to get a lot of use out of it.

Clio said...

Yeah, I've been looking into, um, adhesive solutions for the bra issue. It's a problem.



Yeah, and it's a shame. Some of it is clearly just translation issues - for example at one point they tell you to stitch at 1/5" from the edge. Clearly, they literally converted from 5mm (ie half cm) rather than thinking about what would work best for non-metric sewists (ie 1/4 inch would actually be marked on the throat plate and still within the seam allowance in this case). They also repeatedly instruct to "fold and press" the seams/darts toward the back/center etc rather than using the normal phrasing (ie press seam to the back, press both darts toward the center, etc).

Clio said...

Truly fabulous on you, and you in it. Very informative review too. Named should be happy with your constructive feedback, and I hope they are.

Clio said...

Hot!


I am glad to hear the honest review for the pattern - nice to know that the drafting is good, but I don't know if that is enough for me to want to deal with the downloading and printing nonsense (I just haven't ever been a fan of that). Your top looks awesome though, even if it is a bit challenging to style. I hope you get a lot of use from it because it looks awesome!

Clio said...

OK, gotta say, the minuses outweigh the pluses IMO, although the top is very fancy, sexy and festive. I really like the look, but I do think it's geared towards the small-boobed - the nervy, small-boobed :-) what with those cut outs. Of course, you always look gorgeous and you really wear that top, which is a feat, given that this is the kind of top that could end up wearing the wearer. And, BTW, I agree with Phin. Tape is the way to go!

Clio said...

Me too!

Clio said...

Thanks - yeah, I'm on the fence about future purchases specifically because of the hassle. It would really need to be something that I couldn't find in my Burda collection and really really want.

Clio said...

I agree - it's not particularly subtle, is it? I think I'm about as busty as this top could possibly work for. That said, I plan on rocking it through the holidays.

Clio said...

Oh, yes. Phin seems to be collecting a cadre of allies when it comes to the tape. ;-)

Clio said...

It has a beautiful neckline but that side opening...oh my. You look gorgeous in it! ;-)

Clio said...

You look stunning in this top. really. Like wow.


I;m with Phin on the tape/undergarment issue.


$20 for a PDF download, I'm sorry, no way I would pay that much for the privilege of taping paper together and then having to trace it. But then again I haven't fallen in love with one of their patterns. Yet.

Clio said...

I mean, you wear it very well and you have a long torso and it works with your proportions. In a zillion years could I not get away with this. In this respect, time and gravity are not kind :-)

Clio said...

Yeah. I kinda decided on the pattern and then realized all the fun extras... sigh.

Clio said...

I feel a little "oh my" in it. ;-)

Clio said...

The draping on this is really beautiful and I love that you can see the contrasting lining. I don't think that I would ever be brave enough to rely on tape nor do I think I will splash out $20+ on a pdf pattern unless everybody I know would want one, but I have to say it does look stunning and it's good to hear that the drafting is great.

Clio said...

Definitely tape!

Clio said...

It's a gorgeous top. The first pic of RED was eye-catching. And the gold lining makes a statement top. I'm not adverse (or rather, wasn't in my youth) to using only tape, but nowadays.... ain't gonna happen! And I agree with Phin about the tape. It's the perfect holiday top.

Clio said...

Yep. Tape! You're like a glamorous '30s starlet in it!

Clio said...

For casual wear, I vote a nude cami with a bra shelf. No uni-boob, no extreme exposure. It looks great on you, but I would not be able to pull this off unless I wore it like a vest.

Clio said...

Holy sexy tapey mojo Batman! That is one smokin' top. Lucky husby! I am SHOCKED at the cost of that pdf pattern. I haven't heard that much about Named to get me really excited about them. I think they rushed their release and are going to suffer for not spending more time on instructions since I will be nervous to ever buy anything from them. And more than $10-12 for a PDF is highway robbery.

Clio said...

Oooh, good thinking on the built in bra. That could be just the ticket. Thanks!

Clio said...

Ya know, I kinda feel a bit Rita Hayworth in it. ;-)

Clio said...

Thanks! Yeah, rushed is sort of how it feels. Plus there aren't a lot of reviews yet to help out. Rachel Pinheiro seems to be rockin' a lot of their patterns and has done at least one sew along. So, I hope this will sort itself out in the future. Honestly, I think experienced sewists won't really have problems - this was a pretty straight forward sew and the pattern markings were good. It's beginners, who rely on instructions, that will be in the weeds.

Clio said...

The top is amazing, definitely tape, you just have to commit to to a style like this or skip it (I say knowing I couldn't pull it off). When it comes to layering I'd worry about the deep sleeve starting to suggest a sports pinny (you know reversible athletic mesh) totally ruins the idea of the top. But layering something over could look amazing.

I haven't seen these instructions but I can imagine what you were up against as lined vests do require some finesse. I've made several of their patterns and most simple construction and therefore simple instructions. The more involved ones are a challenge but my impression is the actual instructions are completely correct just mangled in translation. And there are a handful of words used incorrectly every time. For example "stitch" is used to mean seam together when it reads as a single stitch. Or the term bodice is used in pants instructions and it should be garment. And I completely agree some pat phrases and sewing conventions are in order.

But it does sound like they've been listening and the first collection has just been a start, they are planning illustrated instructions going forward and I think possibly printed patterns. For now I'm just impressed with the style, drafting, and fit. I think the instructions and printing will be easier to fix than bad patterns.

Clio said...

Not kind and they both only go in one direction...

Clio said...

You're totally right - you have to wear a style like this with conviction or it will look uncomfortable.

Actually, this wasn't difficult to sew, which is one of the things that irritates me. I followed the instructions for the sake of the review - there was a lot of misused or awkward words/phrases, like you say. But after a few reads, I understood what they meant, except for at the armscye, which I just have no clue how it was supposed to work.

That's good news. Yes, definitely the problems they have are fixable more easily than drafting issues.

Clio said...

This color is so pretty and it looks great with your hair and eye color! I could never pull a top like this off, but I think you do a great job with it. I'd just be so nervous of visibility on the sides, even with tape! I could see this looking great with side seams and a smaller armscye.

Clio said...

You look STUNNING! Totally gorgeous top. This top just has to be taken out for an evening on the town ASAP!

Clio said...

Very alluring! Love the pleating back and front. Unfortunately my lumpy 55 year old body would never get away with the low sides.

Clio said...

The top is gorgeous! I love the color, the pleats at the neckline and it fits you perfectly! While the tape does work, I agree that it would be a bit too cold to wear on its own for many situations. I love the black underneath it. Also, I really love your honest review. I was getting quite excited about Named until I read your negatives... none of which put me off completely but I'm really glad I know that this is going to take more work upfront than being surprised later. Great job!!

Clio said...

Thanks, Kristin! You shouldn't be put off completely, just forewarned. ;-) It sounds like Named is going to address some of these issues - I'm really hopeful, since I would sew more of their patterns.

Clio said...

This top was gorgeous in person and I loved the black lacy bra you wore. Thanks for your honest review. I think it's so helpful to readers!