SIMKHAI · Pre-Fall 2026
Levie S/L Mini Dress
426-1100-K · Knitwear · Dress · Technical Development
The Levie is a sleeveless mini dress knit in a 14-gauge accordion-compact structure: continuous ottoman stitches through the bodice that transfer directly into tiers of 3D fins at the skirt, creating a sunburst silhouette with no cut-and-sew seams. Over eight months I carried it from the designer's illustration through proto, SMS, PPS and TOP. Every round below is documented from the actual tech pack.
- Style #
- 426-1100-K
- Group
- Accordion Compact
- Gauge / Ends
- 14GG · 2E
- Yarn
- 1/37NM, 83% recycled viscose 17% poly
- Size range
- XS–XL
- Development
- Sept 2025 → April 2026
Design intent
From illustration to engineering brief
Development starts with the designer's sketch, but a factory can't knit a sketch. My first pass translates silhouette into knit engineering: where ottomans end and fins begin, how the neck trim links at the shoulder, where a linking seam may be needed, and which specs the factory should follow versus scale from the drawing.
Development timeline
Five rounds from proto to ship approval
Each sample round gets a dated comment package: measured deviations, construction corrections, and reference styles for the factory. This is the actual sequence from the tech pack.
Sept 12, 2025
Development handoff
Brief for 1st proto issued to the factory (NV).
- Wide, slightly curved neck; trim links front-to-back at the shoulder seam
- Multicolor layout with body and waistband in 4 colors and neck trim in 1
- Tall ottoman-stitch waistband; 1 tier of fins at bodice, 2 tiers at skirt
- Sunburst skirt volume per image, back armhole faced in ¼" FNR
Oct 17, 2025
Proto review → SMS
ProceedSilhouette re-engineered: fins at the bodice cancelled in favour of continuous ottomans from HPS to 21", then a direct transfer into skirt fins.
- Front and back length reduced −1¼"; waist −½" blending to 0 at chest and high hip
- Waistband eliminated; ottomans run continuous from HPS to 21" below, then transfer to fins
- Neckline revised to follow style 425-1020-K; FNR trim at ⅞" target width
- Armhole trim changed to FNR to match neck and placket
Jan 14, 2026
1st fit → PPS
Production tech packFit round on SMS: excess volume at the hip join and a binding front armhole.
- Shaved ½" per side at the tier join to remove the hip bump, reduced fins down to sweep
- Underarm lowered ⅜"; front armhole scooped ¼" at pin position
- Neck trim was flipping at CF, so it was pressed flat before shipping
Feb 17, 2026
PPS review → TOP
ApprovedPPS approved to TOP with final balance corrections.
- Chest opened +½", blending to 0 at waist
- Skirt reduced 2 sets of fins per side, about 1" at join, 1¾" at sweep
- Underarm lowered a further ¼"; front neck drop evened to match wearer's right
Apr 24, 2026
TOP → ship approval
Approved to shipTop-of-production sample approved with highlighted measurements brought back to spec. Label and barcode placement approved as sample.
Fit photography
On the body, round by round
Fit photos anchor every comment to something visible: the stripe layout in SMS, the back-neck sit, and the final navy TOP sample.
Bill of materials
Stitches, yarns and trims
Three stitch programs share one yarn system. The FNR trims carry a high-power Lycra to hold the neck against a 14GG viscose body.
Stitch
3D fins, as swatch
14GG 2E · all over excluding trims
Stitch
Ottoman
14GG 2E · bodice, continuous HPS to 21"
Stitch
FNR (full needle rib)
14GG 2+1HPL · neck trim, placket, armhole trim, knit with Lycra
Stitch
Linking
Self yarn + wooly nylon thread on all stretchy compact panels
Yarn 1–4
Winning “Bright Elite” 1/37NM
83% recycled viscose 17% polyester · front & back bodice per layout
Yarn 5
High-power Lycra
Factory sourced · knit into neck trim
Trim
Satin ribbon hanger loops
⅛" width × 2 · underarm side seam · DTM per colorway
Color
Three colorways, one program
Fig Multi
Ivory
mill EL-7258
Yolk
11-0515 TCX
Bubblegum
13-1409 TCX
Fig
19-1718 TCX
Cerulean Multi
Celeste
14-4110 TCX
Yolk
11-0515 TCX
Cerulean
17-4037 TCX
Midnight
19-3921 TCX
Midnight
Midnight, solid
19-3921 TCX
Graded specification
Graded spec, every size, every point
The approved production spec, graded XS–XL. Select a size to read its column the way a factory measurer would; tolerances are the agreed ± window for audit.
22 points of measure · inches · tol ±
| Dim | Point of measure | Tol ± | XS | S | M | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | CF length from HPS, SM to edge | ¼ | 32½ | 33 | 33½ | 34 | 34½ |
| B | CB length from HPS, SM to edge | ¼ | 32½ | 33 | 33½ | 34 | 34½ |
| C | Bodice ottoman length, HPS to top of hip finsFollow factory | ⅛ | 20½ | 21 | 21½ | 22 | 22½ |
| D | Shoulder slope, SM to SM | ⅛ | ¾ | ¾ | ¾ | ¾ | ¾ |
| E | Across shoulder, edge to edge | ⅛ | 11⅝ | 12 | 12⅜ | 12⅞ | 13⅜ |
| F | Across front 5" down HPS | ⅛ | 10⅝ | 11 | 11⅜ | 11⅞ | 12⅜ |
| G | Across back 5" down HPS | ⅛ | 10⅞ | 11¼ | 11⅝ | 12⅛ | 12⅝ |
| H | Chest 1" below armhole | ⅜ | 13¾ | 14½ | 15¼ | 16¼ | 17¼ |
| I | Waist, 15" down from HPS | ⅜ | 12¼ | 13 | 13¾ | 14¾ | 15¾ |
| J | High hip, straight at 1st tier join | ⅜ | 16½ | 17¼ | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| K | Sweep, straight at edgeFollow factory | ⅜ | 29½ | 31 | 32½ | 34 | 35½ |
| L | Armhole straight, SM to SM | ⅛ | 8½ | 8⅞ | 9¼ | 9⅝ | 10 |
| M | Armhole trim width, FNR | 1⁄16 | ⅞ | ⅞ | ⅞ | ⅞ | ⅞ |
| N | Underarm cast-off width (one side) | ⅛ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ |
| P | Front neck drop, HPS SM to trim SM | ⅛ | 3 | 3¼ | 3½ | 3¾ | 4 |
| Q | Back neck drop, SM to SM | ⅛ | ¾ | ¾ | ¾ | ¾ | ¾ |
| R | Neck width, SM to SM | ⅛ | 5¾ | 6 | 6¼ | 6½ | 6¾ |
| S | Neck trim width at CB, FNR | 1⁄16 | ⅞ | ⅞ | ⅞ | ⅞ | ⅞ |
| T | Placket length, neck seam to 1st placket seam | ⅛ | 7¼ | 7¼ | 7¼ | 7¼ | 7¼ |
| U | Total placket length, neck seam to bottom | ⅛ | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| V | Placket width, FNR | ⅛ | ⅞ | ⅞ | ⅞ | ⅞ | ⅞ |
| W | Hanger loop length, on fold, satin ribbon | ⅛ | 8⅜ | 8¾ | 9⅛ | 9½ | 9⅞ |
* base size; grading radiates from M
Source document
The original tech pack
This opens the working Excel file exactly as it was issued, in its original format.
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