The Mint Sundae Dress: A 1920s Afternoon Dress
Fabric: 2.5 yds of embroidered cotton purchased at Costume College 2013 ($6/yd)
Pattern: Festive Attyre's 1 Hour Dress Lawn Party edition
Year: 1920s
Notions: just thread
How historically accurate is it? Fairly. I did serge my seams. While embroidery was popular on dresses, I'm not sure about the netting used in the embroidery section. I did make my own bias tape for finishing the neckline and sleeves and I thought that that was a very period touch.
Hours to complete: More than 1 one but the cutting took a while because I wanted to get the motifs lined up just right.
First worn: August 2015 to church
Total cost: ~$15
Overall, I am very happy with how this dress came out! This pattern definitely looks better in a more light weight, drapey fabric. The skirt shape is much more columnar which adds to the 1920s feel.
Originally, I had purchased this fabric with an Edwardain/19-teens dress in mind but I couldn't come up with anything that felt different enough from my other boarder print/embroidered/scallopy dress. I really need to start giving my costumes names so you know what I'm talking about when I refer to one of them. This is the Mint Sundae Dress.
So 1920s it was. I thought this fabric would be just perfect for a garden party type dress like those often worn by the ladies on Downton Abbey. It's light and airy and looks appropriately dainty for a woman who's not supposed to do anything more strenuous than eat hors d'oeuvres and make small talk.
The print placement took a bit of work to figure out. There was a lot going on and I didn't want anything odd going on like vines pointing to my breasts or the sheer part coming down to low (which is why this fabric never made it to a vintage 40s/50s dress before).
It's very light weight and airy for summer. I think it would be perfect for a summer wedding. For the first time in a while, I know several couples who are engaged so I might actually get invited to a wedding that I can just go to and enjoy!
One of the things I had to contend with on this dress was that there was a large section of sheer fabric on the border print. Should I underline it? Make a separate slip? Just position it carefully? I know in the decade previous, this would have been a nonissue. They just let their undergarments show through sheer fabrics. Of course, they also wore like 3-4 layers of underthings before they could get to the actual dress. I decided that I'd just be ok with my bra and slip straps showing a bit.
Really, you can't tell that much. Plus this dress is quite covered up as far as the rest of it goes. And the pearls make it classy. Pearls make everything classy.
Ah, I'm just so in love with this fabric! It's so pretty! It's so girly and delicate and not something I'd normally gravitate towards.
But it really works with this dress. Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone helps you step further out of your comfort zone.
