Soho Top Pattern by Caidrée: Everything You Need to Know Before You Sew
If you’ve spent any time in the indie sewing pattern world, you’ve probably come across the Soho Top by Caidrée. It’s one of those patterns that keeps appearing on social media feeds, in sewing groups, and on finished-makes blogs — and for good reason. The Soho Top strikes a balance that’s genuinely hard to find: it’s simple enough for confident beginners yet interesting enough to keep experienced sewists coming back to cut another version. Whether you’re just discovering it or you’ve already got three in your fabric queue, this guide covers everything from sizing and fabric selection to fitting tips and styling ideas.
What Is the Soho Top Pattern by Caidrée?
Caidrée is a French indie pattern company known for releasing thoughtful, wearable designs that lean into a contemporary Parisian aesthetic. Their patterns tend to feature clean lines, relaxed silhouettes, and the kind of effortless-looking ease that translates beautifully into a real wardrobe. The Soho Top fits perfectly within that design philosophy.
The Soho Top is a pullover top with a relaxed, slightly oversized fit. It features a square or rounded neckline (depending on the version), short sleeves or optional sleeveless construction, and a hemline that can be worn tucked in or floating at the hip. The overall silhouette is breezy and modern — the sort of top you reach for on a warm morning when you want to look put-together without trying too hard. It pairs beautifully with wide-leg trousers, high-waisted jeans, flowy midi skirts, and almost any bottom you’d reach for in spring or summer.
What makes the Soho Top stand out from the dozens of similar patterns on the market is its combination of thoughtful construction details and wearability. This isn’t a muslin you make once and abandon — it’s a pattern you trace, cut, sew in two hours, and then immediately want to make again in a different fabric.
Who Is This Pattern For?
The Soho Top is marketed toward sewists with some basic experience under their belt, but in practice, it’s very accessible. If you know how to sew a straight seam, press a hem, and follow illustrated instructions, you can handle this pattern. There’s no zipper, no complicated collar construction, and no lining required, which removes many of the hurdles that tend to intimidate new sewists.
That said, experienced sewists will still find plenty to appreciate. The pattern rewards careful fabric selection, precise pressing, and thoughtful fitting adjustments, and the relatively quick construction time means you can focus more of your energy on those details rather than on managing a complex process.
In short, the Soho Top is for anyone who wants a beautiful, wearable garment without spending a week on it. It’s a weeknight sew that looks like a weekend project.
Understanding the Sizing
Caidrée, like many French indie pattern companies, tends to grade their patterns using a combination of bust, waist, and hip measurements rather than arbitrary lettered sizes. The Soho Top typically comes in a wide range of sizes designed to accommodate a variety of bodies, and the pattern includes a size chart that makes it easy to determine where you fall.
One important thing to understand about Caidrée patterns in general is that they are designed with positive ease built in. The Soho Top is not meant to fit close to the body — the ease is part of the aesthetic. When you’re determining your size, measure yourself as accurately as possible and then compare your measurements to the finished garment measurements rather than just the body measurements. This will give you a clearer sense of how the top will actually fit when worn.
If you’re between sizes, consider where you tend to need the most room. For most people sewing the Soho Top, the bust measurement is the most important starting point, but if you have a fuller hip and plan to wear the top untucked, the hip ease may also be worth considering.
Because the pattern has very little in the way of shaping seams, it’s also relatively forgiving when it comes to fitting adjustments. Many sewists make it in their usual size and find it fits beautifully right out of the envelope.
Choosing the Right Fabric
Fabric selection can make or break the Soho Top, and this is one of the areas where sewists who take the time to choose thoughtfully are rewarded with genuinely stunning results.
The pattern is designed for woven fabrics, and it works best with fabrics that have some drape. Stiff cotton shirting, for example, will not give you the relaxed, flowing silhouette that makes this top so appealing. Instead, look for fabrics that move when you hold them up to the light and let them fall from your hand.
Some of the best fabric choices for the Soho Top include viscose (rayon), which is arguably the most popular choice among sewists who make this pattern. Viscose has that beautiful fluid drape, breathes well in warm weather, and comes in an endless range of prints and solids. A lightweight viscose twill or challis works particularly well. Linen and linen blends are another excellent option. The natural texture of linen gives the Soho Top a slightly more structured look while still maintaining the relaxed silhouette. A loosely woven linen or a cotton-linen blend will give you a top that gets softer and more beautiful with every wash. Silk and silk alternatives like Tencel or Lyocell are worth considering if you want a more elevated version of the pattern. These fabrics catch the light beautifully and give the finished garment an almost luxurious quality.
Cotton lawn and voile can also work well, especially for a slightly more casual, summery version of the top. They’re easy to sew and tend to be forgiving for less experienced sewists.
Avoid fabrics with too much body or structure, as they’ll work against the design rather than with it. Canvas, denim, and stiff quilting cotton are unlikely to give you the look you’re going for with this particular pattern.
When it comes to print selection, the Soho Top is a wonderful canvas for bold prints because of its simple silhouette. Florals, abstract prints, geometric patterns, and even large-scale prints tend to look stunning. Stripes can also work beautifully, especially horizontal stripes if you cut the pieces carefully to align at the seams.
Preparing Your Pattern and Fabric
Before you cut a single piece of fabric, take the time to prewash. This is especially important with viscose, linen, and any natural fiber, all of which are likely to shrink. Prewash your fabric the same way you intend to wash the finished garment. If you plan to machine wash and tumble dry, do that with the fabric before cutting. If you intend to hand wash, hand wash the fabric first.
Press your fabric carefully after prewashing. Wrinkled or distorted fabric leads to inaccurate cutting, and inaccurate cutting leads to a top that doesn’t quite hang right.
Trace your pattern pieces rather than cutting directly from the printed sheet, especially if you think you might want to make adjustments down the line or sew multiple sizes. Tracing paper or light pattern paper works well, and this approach lets you preserve the original pattern for future use.
Mark your notches, grain lines, and any other markings carefully. The grain line in particular will affect how the top hangs, so take the time to ensure your fabric pieces are cut accurately on grain.
Sewing the Soho Top: Construction Overview
One of the most appealing aspects of the Soho Top is its streamlined construction. The exact steps will depend on your version of the pattern, but generally speaking, you’ll sew the shoulder seams, finish the neckline, sew the side seams, set in or attach the sleeves, and finish the hem. The entire process can be accomplished in an afternoon or evening with a standard sewing machine, though a serger or overlocker will give you cleaner seam finishes if you have access to one.
Pressing at every stage is one of the most important things you can do to elevate the quality of your finished top. Press each seam as you sew it, use a pressing cloth when working with delicate fabrics, and take the time to press the hem carefully before topstitching or blind hemming. The difference between a pressed garment and an unpressed one is immediately visible, and it’s one of the things that separates handmade garments that look polished from those that look homemade in the less flattering sense of the word.
The neckline finish is worth particular attention because it’s one of the most visible parts of the finished garment. Whether your version uses a bias binding, a facing, or a rolled hem, follow the instructions carefully and take your time. A beautifully finished neckline does an enormous amount of work in making the whole top look professional.
Fitting Adjustments to Consider
Because the Soho Top has a relaxed, boxy silhouette, many sewists find that it fits well without any adjustments. However, there are a few common modifications worth knowing about.
If you have a larger bust, you may find that the front of the top pulls or gaps slightly. A small forward shoulder adjustment or a slight increase in the front length can help address this. Since the Soho Top doesn’t have bust darts, the adjustment is relatively simple to make.
If you have narrow shoulders, the shoulder seams may sit slightly off the shoulder, giving the top a more extreme drop-shoulder look than you intended. Narrowing the shoulder slightly by taking in the shoulder seam is a quick fix.
For those who prefer a shorter or longer hemline, the Soho Top is very easy to lengthen or shorten. Simply add or remove length at the hem before cutting, maintaining the same grain line and seam allowances.
If you want a slightly more fitted look without losing the relaxed feel entirely, consider taking in the side seams slightly. Even an inch on each side seam can create a noticeable difference in the silhouette without making the top look tight.
Styling the Soho Top
Part of what makes the Soho Top so popular is how effortlessly it integrates into a wardrobe. It’s a genuinely versatile piece that can be dressed up or down depending on your fabric choice and how you style it.
For a casual, everyday look, pair a viscose print Soho Top with high-waisted jeans and flat sandals. Add a linen tote bag and minimal jewelry, and you have an outfit that’s relaxed and pulled-together at the same time.
For a more polished look, try a silk or Tencel Soho Top tucked loosely into wide-leg tailored trousers. Pointed-toe mules and simple gold jewelry elevate the whole outfit significantly.
In cooler weather, the Soho Top layers beautifully under an oversized blazer or over a fitted long-sleeved top. The relaxed shape accommodates layers underneath without becoming shapeless, and the clean neckline means it works well with statement necklaces and scarves.
If you’re a fan of the tonal, monochromatic look that’s been popular for several seasons running, try sewing your Soho Top in a fabric that coordinates closely with a bottom you already own. A dusty terracotta linen top with burnt orange wide-leg pants, for example, creates a cohesive, intentional look that feels current and sophisticated.
Hack Ideas and Pattern Variations
Once you’ve made one or two straight versions of the Soho Top and feel comfortable with the pattern, there’s plenty of room to experiment.
One of the most popular hacks is adding length to the pattern to create a Soho Dress. By extending the front and back pieces significantly, you can turn the top into a relaxed shift dress that works beautifully in a lightweight linen or a drapey viscose. You’ll want to think about the hemline shape and potentially add a slight curve at the hem for a more finished look, but the core construction remains the same.
Another variation is experimenting with neckline options. If your version of the pattern includes a square neckline, you might try adding a small ruffle or frill along the neckline edge for a more playful finish. Alternatively, a simple V-neckline modification is relatively straightforward to draft if you’re comfortable with basic pattern alterations.
Sleeve variations are also worth exploring. A long sleeve version of the Soho Top in a lightweight silk or viscose would make a beautiful piece for transitional weather. Simply extend the sleeve to your preferred length and add a simple hem or cuff.
Pockets are another addition many sewists love to make to patterns that don’t include them. A simple in-seam pocket added to the side seams of the Soho Top is a practical and invisible modification that makes the top even more wearable.
Care and Maintenance
How long your Soho Top lasts and how good it continues to look depend significantly on how you care for it. This is especially true if you’ve made it in a delicate fabric like viscose or silk.
Viscose, in particular, benefits from gentle hand washing or a delicate machine cycle in a mesh laundry bag. Lay it flat to dry rather than putting it in the tumble dryer, which can cause viscose to shrink or distort. Linen can generally handle more robust washing, but it too will last longer and look better if you avoid excessive heat in the dryer.
Press your Soho Top with the appropriate heat setting for your fabric, and use a pressing cloth with delicate or shiny fabrics to avoid leaving iron marks. Store it flat or hung rather than folded, particularly if you’ve made it in a fabric that creases easily.
With proper care, a well-sewn Soho Top should remain a wardrobe staple for many years, and the pattern will repay your investment many times over as you sew version after version.
Why Sewists Keep Coming Back to This Pattern
Ultimately, the longevity of the Soho Top pattern’s popularity comes down to a combination of factors that all reinforce each other. It’s quick enough to be satisfying without feeling like a throwaway project. It’s simple enough to be accessible without feeling boring. It’s versatile enough to wear year-round and in dozens of different contexts. And it’s attractive enough that every new version feels worth the effort.
The Soho Top by Caidrée is the kind of pattern that earns a permanent place in a sewist’s rotation — the one you recommend to friends who are just starting out, and the one you keep returning to yourself when you want to make something you know you’ll actually wear. It’s a pattern that understands what modern sewists are looking for, and it delivers beautifully every time.
