Vogue Patterns: 8889 (Men's Shirt) - Type:Mens - Shirts  | | Viewed 316 times
| 2 more reviews | Review rated Very Helpful by 10 people | | Reviewed by: | Peter in NYC | 
| About Peter in NYC | | USA | | Member since: 6/9/09 | | Reviews written: 64 | | Sewing skills:Intermediate | | Favored by: 114 people | | patterns reviewed: 58 | | Bio: more... |
| | Posted on: | 2/17/13 1:46 PM | | Project Photo: |  | | Pattern Photo: | 
Vogue Patterns Pattern Info | | Pattern Rating: | Recommend, with Modifications | | See other patterns in this category: Mens - Shirts | Available for sale on PR: $22.50 (See envelope)  | | | | Fabric: | Cotton [See other projects in this fabric] | | Related Links | Click on  to add a link |
| Pattern Description:
Vogue 8889, just released in 2013, is a men's shirt pattern with collar band, hidden button placket, and shaping seams at side front and side back. One version has front tucks. I made View A -- the short-sleeve shirt without the tucks.
Pattern Sizing:
This pattern is for sizes 34" - 40" and runs a bit large. I am not very familiar with contemporary shirt patterns, but I wear a standard 36" (and always use size 36" vintage shirt patterns) and ended up cutting the 34". The shoulders were still roughly 1" too wide and the long sleeve roughly 4" too long.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, albeit with a more custom fit.
Finished shirt - front
Finished shirt - side
Finished shirt - back
Pattern Envelope pic
Were the instructions easy to follow?
I've sewn many shirts before so didn't use the instructions much, but I did review them and they seemed clear.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like the style a lot because it has a contemporary feel and isn't boxy, like most in-print men's shirt patterns. Oddly, the pattern is called "loose-fitting" on the envelope but it's clearly an "athletic" fit type of shirt designed for broad shoulders and a relatively narrow waist.
On the size 34" at least (which should correspond to a 14" neck though neck size is mentioned NOWHERE on this shirt pattern), the collar band was roughly 1" too long, as was the collar. I had to redraft these by taking length out from the center(s). The collar band notches did not line up with neckline notches correctly, and neither did the notches on the yoke and left and right fronts. I don't know if this is true for the larger sizes also or if it's merely a computer grading issue on the smallest size. Still, this could throw off a beginner sewist, especially if she/he had little experience making men's shirt collars.
Fabric Used:
I used a thin (almost voile-weight) white cotton shirting, and some flowered cotton from a previous project for the inside shirt band.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I made quite a few changes to make this broad-shouldered pattern fit my relatively rectangular build.
1) I redrafted the back and front side pieces, narrowing in the upper area and widening in the waist and hips a bit (roughly 1/4")
2) I raised the armhole roughly 1/4" and narrowed the armhole about the same amount. I made the corresponding changes to the sleeve: narrowing the edges a bit and raising them slightly.
3) I took roughly 2" off the front and back length (I'm 5'7"), and more than 3" off the long sleeve (though I ended up making short sleeves).
4) I narrowed the yoke 1" on either shoulder and graded the front and back pattern pieces to match.
5) Rather than flat-felled seams, I serged my seam allowances and stitched them down to make faux flat-felled seams.
6) I skipped the under collar band (which would attach to buttons to hold the collar down -- something I've never seen before) as it didn't seem necessary.
7) I used a flowered print fabric for the inside of the collar band for interest.
Collar band.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I will sew this again -- it's a very nice shirt, but I had to do quite a bit of redrafting to make it fit me. It's ideal for a tall, broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted man but alas, I am none of these. And at least on the 34", attention should be paid to the length of the collar band and collar to make sure they're going to fit the neck before attaching them.
The hidden button placket is an especially nice touch and very easy to make (just folding the left front piece, not attaching a separate strip of fabric).
Conclusion:
It's very exciting (to me) when a pattern company releases a new men's shirt pattern as there are so few in print and most are boxy and boring. V8889 is stylish looking and, despite being labeled "loose-fitting" on the envelope, is quite fitted (and actually can be as fitted as you choose to make it, since it has those shaped side-back and side-front pieces). Making this shirt required a bit of extra work (I ended up retracing all of the main pattern pieces, something I rarely ever have to do), but I think in the end, it was worth it.
You can read more about V8889 on my blog, Male Pattern Boldness, here.
I have many, many more pics of my various alterations and muslins (including comparisons to a vintage Butterick size 36" pattern I use a lot), along with shots of the finished shirt, in a Picasa file here.
Thanks for reading!
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18 Comments
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A nice crisp-looking shirt and a perfect fit. Well done.
2/17/13 2:30 PM
Great looking shirt!
2/17/13 2:50 PM
Love the shaping with the side pieces. What a perfect, slim fit. Your shirt looks like it needs a trip to the Bahamas with its airy-ness.
2/17/13 4:08 PM
Wow, looks great!!!! You've got a keeper with this pattern!
2/17/13 4:47 PM
Well worth the effort in the end. Excellent shirt! I agree, it's a keeper!
2/17/13 4:58 PM
Great looking shirt and love your high tech (to me) slide presentation. Thanks.
2/17/13 5:39 PM
Another perfect fit for you - great work as always and now you have created a TNT pattern for yourself
2/17/13 6:05 PM
Beautiful collar, fit and fabric. Wow.
2/17/13 7:16 PM
great shirt,great fit, your blog always makes me laugh
2/17/13 7:20 PM
Thanks Peter for this excellent review. The time and effort you undertook on the adjustments was well worth it ....you have a great looking shirt.
2/17/13 9:57 PM
Great looking shirt and a perfect fit! Looks terrific on you.
2/17/13 11:20 PM
Thanks, everyone!
2/18/13 1:06 AM
Inside collar band fabric very nice detail. I like the whimsey.
2/18/13 8:04 PM
Great looking shirt and great fit. I love how the hidden placket and visible seams look with this fabric.
2/19/13 4:31 PM
Great looking shirt! Sounds like the perfect pattern for making shirts for my husband, for whom I have spent 30 years slimming every shirt he buys to fit his skinny but broad-shouldered body. All patterns until perhaps this one were just as bad. I'm impressed that you found so many drafting errors, though! Thanks for this review.
2/20/13 5:27 PM
I am just finished my first construction with this pattern and it is indeed quite fitted, rather than loose, and the shoulders are very wide indeed. I might have to redraft and redo, or simply take sone of the nice feature (button placket and sleeves opening are quite nice) with V8759 which fits me a lot better.
3/16/13 11:41 PM
Thanks for the review! It sounds like my hubby may be the perfect candidate for this shirt, being the tall, broad shoulder, slim waist/hip type. :-)
4/15/13 7:49 PM
Great job! Can't find shirts that well made OTR!
4/18/13 0:11 AM