1950s Inspired Spring Party Dress

Spring, spring, spring, spring!  Yes that was an excessive number of springs, but I'm too excited to even care!  I have been waiting for spring to arrive ever since January.   Normally I love winter, and I want it to stay prolonged for as long as possible, but this year I've just been ready for a change of seasons.  I'm ready for the flowers and the green again.  I think my trip to Savannah encouraged this, because I saw how green it was down there, and it made me long for summer.  Summer is the start of adventures, but spring is the start of the anticipation of all the possibilities, and I love that feeling.

All photos taken myself

Dress:  Esther from the Sticks

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.  

The first rough sketch. 

^Instagraming while in the middle of the sewing process.

Also for anyone who is interested this dress is for sale in my Etsy shop along with a couple other new garments.  I cleaned out my closet the other day of clothes that I will be selling so I'll keep you updated all throughout this month when new items are up.  

I hope you're having a lovely Friday and happy spring!