Black Sateen Lemon Print |
The dress made its debut for Viva Las Vegas! I've never been before, and it was so cool to see everyone done up Rockabilly style. I tried to make my hair and makeup as '50s fabulous as possible, though the windy days made me wish I had invested in better hairspray.
Of course, flats are essential when doing a lot of walking!
Construction-wise, the only complicated thing about this dress is the bodice. It's both lined and underlined in black Kona cotton, and then boning channels are sewn to the lining layer. Steel boning is inserted throughout. I find boning to be essential for a dress like this, because it keeps a closely fitted bodice smooth throughout. Ten rows is my minimum for this bodice design, and that's what I used here. The most important placement points, in my opinion, are over the princess seams, side seams, diagonally on each side of the bust, and on either side of the zipper.
Here's the inside of the dress. I didn't line the skirt, because I loved how the fabric drapes on its own and I didn't plan to wear hosiery with the dress.
I love how the boning keeps the back of the bodice smooth. I used a lapped zipper, my preferred method.
This print is also available with a blue background on a cotton lawn. It has a lighter, almost gauzy feel to it, and I'm definitely going to make a full-skirted dress with it.
This dress uses the same bodice and skirt pattern as two other dresses in the book! Can you see the basic similarity?
Faux Sarong Dress, Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book |
Fringed Cocktail Dress, Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book |