Comments on: Deconstructing an 1812 Evening Dress Trim

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 05:57:49 +0000

I strongly suspect that the front is actually a network of dark blue tabs & beads that holds the lighter blue outer dress over a sleeveless shell of white. One clue is the top of the dress: the white undress is not necessarily 100% lines up with the top of the overdress. The shadowed corners of each trim section, especially on the left, would also tend to corroborate that idea.

By: Jennifer Rosbrugh

Jennifer Rosbrugh — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:59:51 +0000

In reply to Gealdine Mitchell.

Great observation! The dress cut is smooth around the front waistline on the bodice as well as the skirt. As long as your support panel is made from a soft fabric (organza) that works well with your dress fabric it would work. Also, you couldn’t stitch it down tight. I’d do long hand tacking stitches next to the piped edges (near the lace) so the entire dress would move together. Oh, and you’d want to take it firmly at the waistline too.

Oh for a personal dressmaker that could sew it on while you’re actually wearing the dress!

By: Gealdine Mitchell

Gealdine Mitchell — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:07:01 +0000

I think that it would be amazing to do but the making the trim panel lay flat is, as I see it, would “fight” with the softness of the gown as a whole.