I made this dress for my best friend’s wedding. She wanted a short dress with lace and a fitted bodice. I drew inspiration from several sources for this look, the fit and flare dresses of the 1950’s, Jenny Packham’s Nymph dress from her fall 2012 collection, and a short, bubble hemmed Amsale dress.

I used cotton drill and muslin as the foundation for the bodice and hand basted the layers together. I basted the taffeta to the under lining by hand before machine sewing the bodice together. I used spiral steel boning throughout and horsehair to give the bodice structure. The skirt has an uneven hem and the taffeta is backed with muslin to give it more weight and shape. I also added pockets to the side seams for fun. The lace on the bodice is different than the lace on the straps, so I had to cut and piece the laces very strategically to make the transition from strap to bodice look natural. The straps are underlined with flesh colored silk organza to give it more stability and to keep the lace from scratching. I carefully patched the lace on the back panels so the pattern would be symmetrical. The dress is fully lined with china silk in the bodice and silk charmeuse in the skirt. I also made her fascinator from the extra taffeta and lace.

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