With that said, I'm not quite sure why I spent a great deal of time making a dress with a neckline like this. The pattern is an old Hollywood Patterns number which I purchased at the Vintage Fashion Expo in San Francisco last month. This was my first adventure with an original 1940s pattern and I would have to say it was a bit of a nightmare to put together.
The fabric I chose was incredibly difficult to work with and the instructions called for a lot of folding over and stitching instead of using linings or interfacing. I actually felt I failed miserably, threw the pieces aside for a week and then came back and reworked the entire bodice. That's why the neckline is higher (I added a neckline piece with interfacing) and I went the route of pleats instead of gathering. I also added cap sleeves because I was just too tired to fiddle with the thing anymore. The dress is longer than the pattern indicated because I wanted it to have a slightly more 1930s feel.
Here I am wearing it at the Vintage Clothing and Style Festival this past weekend. While the dress wasn't a complete failure, I have a hard time imagining that I'd wear it again. Still, I learned a lot about working with 1940s patterns, synthetic silks and buttons.
The hat, however, was a festival find and I think it's beautiful.
