Thursday 27 June 2013

A Change of Decade - the 30's Bias Dress

I think I'm like many people in that my understanding of times gone by, especially fashions and interiors, comes from old movies. Therefore the first thing that springs to mind when I think of the 1930's is images such as this:

Jean Harlow in a bias cut gown (Source)


Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (Source)
And why were the films and the stars of this era so glamourous? Because for a lot of the population, especially in America, life was more like this:

(Source)
(Source)
 
1930's Soup kitchen for the unemployed (Source)
A combination of massive economic collapse and the dustbowl of Mid West America, where most of the topsoil literally blew away, thereby making it impossible to grow anything, resulted in what we now refer to as the Great Depression. What followed was mass unemployment and large migrations of the population to find work, especially to California, which is exactly what my mother's family did when they moved from San Antonio, Texas to San Francisco.

It's understandable that movies of the time would provide an alternative to the troubles of daily life with glitz and glamour. Everything was shiny, from the floors of the ballrooms to the satin gowns that were usually draped around the ladies. Characters had housemaids and servants, and usually had nothing more to worry about than who they would bump into on the cruiseship to Europe.

Why the mini history lesson? Well, all of this was going through my mind when I decided to make the Sew Vera Venus Little Bias Dress:



This is a great pattern for a slinky, satin-y 1930's dress. But I didn't think I would have as much use for a satin dress, so I re-imagined it as something more everyday, with a touch of the mid-west.

I found this lovely cotton fabric at Goldhawk Rd on the recent Spring London blogger meet-up, and decided it was perfect for what I had in mind:


And here it is:







I was a grown-up and actually made a muslin for this dress (see this post); once I made some fitting adjustments, the dress went together really easily. Since most of it is cut on the bias I figured it would be a pain to put a lining in - trying to get the drape of the lining and the dress to match up would have been really difficult. (I'm not used to dresses being unlined, so I just wore a half slip which was just fine) To keep the insides neat and tidy, I used French seams throughout; to neaten the skirt frill and the armhole, I bound it with self-made bias binding:

Seam neatened with bias binding
I seem to remember that dresses of this era often didn't have zip closures, and used button plackets instead. So that's what I did!:



I even managed to find little mother of pearl buttons that matched the flowers in the fabric!

A few more details:

Back waist
There's a little belt at the back that I didn't really know what to do with, so I tied it in a neat knot. And instead if darts, the bodice gathers into the waist, making it softer and more comfortable to wear.


For some reason the frilly-ness of the sleeves doesn't really come across well in the photos, so you'll just have to believe me that they are super floaty and probably my favourite part of the dress.

The dress has a really summery, holiday feel to it - shame we don't have the weather to match here in London at the moment. But being inappropriately dressed has never stopped me from wearing a new outfit!

See you soon!

24 comments:

  1. so elegant :-) great fabric choice.

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  2. so elegant :-) great fabric choice.

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  3. so elegant :-) great fabric choice.

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  4. so elegant :-) great fabric choice.

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  6. Oh Nicole this is just beautiful. I love bias cut gowns from the 30s. I will show you this navy satin one I made at school when you come over. I love this dress and how you made it in the cotton. Brilliant print and loving all the details. SWOONING! xxxx

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    1. Thanks missus! This dress may make an appearance at the July soiree!

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  7. i love it - so pretty! great use of that fab fabric!

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  8. I love it! So glad to see what you made from that Cherry fabric. You look great, as always...

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  9. This dress looks so lovely on you! x

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  10. Your dress is gorgeous! And I love the fabric.

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  11. It's beautiful! A while back I saw the pattern and was very curious about it. I love how it's cut on the bias and the bust gathers, and how cute are those mother of pearl buttons <3

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  12. Love the dress - it's so beautiful!

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  13. I just love this Nicole and way to go for making it such a wearable version for day-to-day! Can't believe the pattern's a free download either...guess what I'm about to just do!?!

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  14. Just lovely Nicole- I'm so happy to see someone's used my pattern and with such really fab results! I hope now we are finally having some summer weather you are getting the most out of wearing it :)

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    1. Thank you for your generosity and skill! This pattern is fab - I'm thinking if using it for a winter version, maybe a wool crepe? Hope this post directs more fans your way.

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  15. Thanks, it has... I was actually wondering why my free stuff page had spiked recently then someone told me of your post at WeSewRetro.
    Wool crepe would be great, I've been thinking along similar lines for the winter too!

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  16. Love it! You look great! Congratulations

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  17. Clever you! I always thought of slinky, drapey fabrics for bias dresses, but your example in this beautiful cotton has opened up a whole world of new ideas! Love the dress, and the history lesson!

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  18. Beautiful version, I have it on my to do list. Hope it turns out as great as yours.

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  19. Wool crepe, now there's a thought - it being winter down here in Sydney right now. Though maybe it would need a different sleeve for the wintery vibe...might pop over and have a chat to Vera.
    Beautiful job by the way, and love that fabric!

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  20. This dress looks fantastic.
    Did you need to make many adjustments to the pattern? I really like this pattern but am quite a bit bigger than the size it is rated.

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    1. I had to redraft the bodice so that it wad bigger and so the bust line sat in the right place. And I added some width to the skirt. But then I printed the pdf at the wrong size, so that didn't help!

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