Sew Modern Sew Historical: McCalls 7140 AKA my Irene Adler cosplay for the Sherlock exhibit

I planned a costuming event to coincide with the final weekend of the Sherlock Holmes exhibit in Seattle. I decided to do a fun cosplay based on the Irene Adler blue and pink bustle dress from the Game of Shadows movie. I didn't want to spend a lot of time on a costume and I didn't want to wear a corset. McCall's 7140 bodice is a very close approximation of that costume. The one in the movie does have style lines appropriate to the Victorian era. The 7140 pattern is very modern. Princess seams, one piece sleeve, boxy shoulder. But I wasn't looking for historical accuracy, just a costume.

What I used:
This was another stash buster project. In a perfect world I would have had duchess satin in royal blue and hot pink. Instead I used navy blue cotton and petunia pink voile. My only purchase was a package of narrow pink bias tape to use as trim.

Sizing and alterations:
I decided to use a size 20. I have never had a successful princess seam FBA. Since I didn't want to mess with fitting a 20 was gonna have to work. This pattern in long in waist so I shortened it 1.75 inches. My back of neck to waist measurement is 15.5 inches. I also shortened the sleeve by 1/2 an inch. That was it. I made one design change. I added 3 inches to the center front bottom curve and graded it out to nothing once I reached the points. You can see on the envelope picture how short the jacket front is. It's cute, but not what I was looking for.

Pattern info and strange stuff: Please look at my photos for more info.
This is a pretty straightforward pattern with a few hiccups. The skirt waistband is marked incorrectly for center front and center back. The skirt closes in back. So just reverse them. CB is CF and CF is CB. When you go to baste on the collar the drawing is showing it being basted to the wrong side of the jacket. I basted it to the right side, like I always do. Their wordage on the front skirt pattern piece (cut on fold) is teeny. That along with the waistband markings being jacked almost confused me. For 5 minutes I thought the skirt closed in the front.

Other changes I made:
I left the zipper and hook off the skirt. I attached the waistband as instructed but I left the ends open and used a drawstring. No one can see the back of your skirt with the bustle jacket on. I also used velcro to close the jacket front instead of sewing on hooks and eyes. Much easier. I used some decorative buttons on the bodice.

End notes:
I was happy with how this turned out. It was fun to wear. I had assumed I could find pink trim to match the ruffles and lining. Nope. Never the right shade. The bias tape was the closest I could get to that blasted pink shade. I am wearing a small bustle pillow and three petticoats underneath my skirt. I would recommend this pattern for an intermediate skill level. You need to know how to attach a collar, sew/clip around very tight corners, put in a lining.