BurdaStyle

I made this dress for the Fort Wayne Museum of Art’s Funky Formal Night that was about a month ago. I wanted to create something very retro and 1950s inspired I hand drafted this dress pattern and used over 5 yards of fabric. There were so many pleats that had to be measured and hand pressed, that by the end I was ready to be done with the iron for awhile. There are 1/2’’ pleats around the top of the bodice, 1’’ pleats around the waist, and 1.5’’ pleats around the middle of the skirt. There is also a pleated placket with buttons in the back covering the zipper.

The dress itself is a simple strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline and an invisible zipper in the back. The dress is fully lined with boning in the bodice for support. There’s also a colorful tulle crinoline that I designed to pop out on purpose 2.5’’ below the hemline.

There are hidden pockets in the side. Like I’ve said so many times before I like to have pockets in dresses. Most of the time I don’t want to carry around a clutch or a bag while I’m all dressed up. I like having a place where I can stash my keys and cell phone without having to worry about carrying them all night.

More details and photos over on my blog (all photos are taken by myself): http://esther-fromthesticks.blogspot.com/2013/04/1950s-inspired-spring-party-dress.html

Also for anyone who is interested this dress is for sale in my Etsy shop as well: https://www.etsy.com/listing/129838816/1950s-pleated-party-dress?ref=shop_home_active