Remember how I had said that my in-laws anniversary party was 50’s-60’s themed? Thus the squirrel skirt for Guinevere that was needed. I couldn’t let such a perfect reason to sew up a vintage-y look pass me by without getting a new dress for myself. Enter Butterick 5748, a re-issue of a 1960 pattern. Looking at the pattern envelope, I wondered if the skirt would be as full as I wanted it to be for a be-costumed occasion. I did double-check on Pattern Review to see what a real dress looked like since the envelope only had illustrations. I needn’t have worried as this obligatory twirling picture shows.
Even standing still (and holding it down) the skirt is quite full.
This dress was all kinds of fun to dance in at my in-laws’ party.
Yes, I realize that the front darts are a bit high. I’m still debating whether to take the (lined) bodice apart to fix it. I’m waiting for the new bras I ordered online to arrive to replace my current cheaply made and worn out ones. New lingerie with extra support and fresh powernet will of course change where the darts land in relation to the bust apex, and I’d hate to have to fix it now and then again after getting new foundation garments.
The fabric is a cotton brocade from my stash. I just barely fit all the pattern pieces on the available yardage. The brocade design doesn’t show up so well in those outdoor pictures, but it’s nice in person, very tablecloth-like, aside from the color.
Of course, I wanted to be able to wear this dress for less costumed occasions too. Exchanging those two extremely puffy crinolines for a ruffled slip does help to achieve a more modern look.
The jacket is a ready-to-wear (Dress Barn) acquisition of some years ago. It’s a cotton-y stretch sateen fabric. Someday I’d like to make a pattern traced off this jacket, because I know it won’t last forever and it’s something I can pair with a lot of my other clothes.
A little off-topic, but I’m going to throw it in here at the end anyway. You may notice that I’m wearing nude pantyhose in the last two pictures. I fail to see the the reasons for nude hose demise. Sure, during the hottest heat of summer I’ll skip the hose, and in the dead of winter, sweater-tights are much more practical, but how is it that somewhere along the line nude pantyhose became declared obsolete and “over”? Seriously, just that thin layer of nylon is just enough to even out the skin tone of my legs, and keep my feet from becoming blistered in my heels. What’s not to love there?
Stash busting stats: 12/25
Stripey Tiramisu was 11/25, though I forgot to include it in that post, just in case you think I’m cheating by skipping numbers.
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