I’ve found a way to satisfy my desire to make a whole new dress for Windy Lindy 2010. I’m helping Madame Ornata make one.
Madame Ornata doesn’t swing dance, but she does dance, and she loves to dress up.
So I convinced her to come to Windy Lindy.
It turns out that she had a half cut out version of the notorious Vintage Vogue 2241, an original 1931 design.
Now, 2241 is notorious for being difficult to adjust, fussy to put together, making no logical sense as a dress or a pattern, and (worst of all) looking like a sack when you do figure it out, unless you happen to have the approximate figure of a snake.
The pattern looks like this:
Now, Madame Ornata’s figure is deliciously un-snake-like, she doesn’t like to show off her back, and she needs to be able to dance in the dress without it falling off her shoulders. So the dress as it is was a no-go.
But she already had the skirt cut out in the most fabulous sapphire blue silk charmeuse.
So we used the skirt pattern pretty much as it is, but adapted (read: tossed the pattern and drafted a whole new one on Isabelle) the bodice to suit Madame O.
Drafting the bodice on Isabelle
It now has a V-neck, a fitted bust and waist, and a fairly high back so the sleeves won’t fall off. It looks like this:
Madame O's Vogue 2241 re-do
It’s fabulous. I can’t wait to show you pictures of the finished dress. But for now, Madame O is still hard at work on it.
The fabric is a little less vivid blue, a little more sapphire in real life.
Yumbo, it’s going to be gorgeous!
Oh Hello lovely you MrsC! Back from Music trivia on regular Thurs night at the Southern X – feeling all warm and mellow…. few drinks, got 1st prize ($75) and a free bottle of wine for an obscure 80s The The song Woohoo! (hmm I dunno is woohooing good nettiquette?)
Anyway the dress is completely fab and I couldn’t do it without fabulous L’s help. She is sooooooooo awesome. Didn’t know my bod could look that va va voom (in the mock up) OMG can’t wait for the real thing all that teal gorgeousness – oh swoon!!! Thanks Dreamstress you rock my world 🙂
Can’t wait to finish it. Not doing any now though or I will sew my fingers to the feeddog. Keep ya posted.
Gotta go Project Runnway about to start and I don’t need to be sober for that 🙂
The re-do looks quite a bit like another Vintage Vogue pattern–that I’m currently working on 🙂 Yay for 30s dresses! Love the strap placement on the new version.
Madame Ornata, reading your post is exactly like being in the room with you! It is a gorgeousness of silk and I can’t wait pics of you rocking it! And The Dreamstress is totally awesome, couldn’t agree more :). Of course, I am particularly fond of bright blue so am even more impressed with it. Yu-um!