Tea dress

I made this dress a little while back and wore it to an afternoon party in France in the beginning of July, but travelling and fabulous weather distracted me from posting it earlier. The party was however the perfect occasion for a photoshoot!

The pattern is the sweetheart sundress from Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing. I made a size 6 for the bodice, but later took in around 2 cm from the side seams, tapering to nothing at the waist. There is still some wrinkling in the bodice but I am not sure what is causing it. The skirt is a simple gathered rectangle. I gathered it only at the sides, as Gertie does. I added straps that crosses in the back, in the same fabric as the little "wings". The construction was very straight-forward, so I spent some time on making things right instead. I was careful with the grading and understitching, frenched-seamed all seams so that there is no exposed raw edges, and handpicked the centered zipper. 

The fabric is a cotton poplin, with a contrast of light dusky pink viscose. I fully lined the dress in white cotton batiste. The poplin has a bit of body, which is perfect for the style of the dress.

I am very pleased with the result! The fit is surprising, especially as there are no darts in front bodice. The skirt is very full, wich was the look I was going for, but it means I probably will not wear this dress really often, but I felt very good in it for the party. I love the retro vibe, and I am pleased with the lenght of the skirt which helps cut back on the girlyness of the look. I will definitely revisit this pattern, as it is quite versatile, in my opinion. I really want to try the tiki variation with shirring. Or maybe with a circle skirt?