All posts tagged: 1930s

Finished project: an utterly adorable 1930s playsuit

Published by The Dreamstress

A client contacted me to make a playsuit from a late 1930s pattern she owns. After we looked at lots of modern fabrics without finding anything inspiring I suggested an early-mid 20th century style print, and she picked an adorable bows & flowers print in grey and yellow from Reproduction Fabrics. I’m a huge fan of the yellow (so exciting to have a client who loves it too), and the print and colours are the perfect mix of pre-war innocence while still being fresh and modern. To relieve the rather busy print, I used custom made white piping with a very subtle woven-in stripe, and graphite-grey buttons.  I think this was particularly important on the front of the skirt, where I did a piping-bordered placket. Isn’t the halter back of the playsuit clever?  How it combines with the side-fastening of the connected shorts so that you can get in and out easily? And the halter is so unexpected: we don’t usually think of them featuring in fashion that early. To keep the halter modest, and …

The ‘please don’t photograph me’ 1930s-ish nautical skirt

Published by The Dreamstress

Remember how I made a mid-1930s skirt to wear with a nautical outfit for Windy Lindy 2011  way back in August? Well, I’ve been trying to get good images of me in that skirt ever since, and I tell you, that thing just doesn’t want to be photographed. So I’ve finally conceded defeat, and am just showing you some mediocre images. The inspiration for my skirt was a common mid-30s design with outward facing pleats front and back.  I can’t find the actual image I used for inspiration, but you Wearing History has posted some images of similar skirts, like this adorable one with lacing (on the right) and a simple one in flat silk crepe (on the left). Like I said, very common design! For my skirt I used the same white  cotton with irregular diagonal rib that I used for the 1770s man’s redux waistcoat and breeches.  It’s not a period accurate fabric for the 1930s, and the resulting skirt is a bit more structured and tailored than a real 30s example would …