1940s - Ladies Eveningwear

The final project for the course was to research and design a 1940s evening dress with a schedule of two weeks. This time consisted of:

• research and design development
• drafting on the stand for the bodice
• pattern drafting a skirt block to modify for the skirt

For the 1940s eveningwear I was very inspired by Christian Dior’s New Look. I wanted to create something that was structured and elegant, but also had a striking drape to it. The fabric I chose for the dress was Rayon, which proved an excellent choice, due not only to its historical accuracy, but also its incredible versatility.

This project gave me another opportunity to practise draping on the stand and also provided an opportunity to dust off my pattern drafting skills, with a little help from Winifred Aldrich’s ‘Metric Pattern Cutting’.

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