Green Striped 1920s Dress, Part I: Design and Fabric

So last year I attended a Roaring 20s Lawn Party in this One-Hour Dress made of antique white embroidered fabric. However, as much as I liked the dress in theory, I have to admit it was not the most flattering of frocks– too straight, no movement, and the embellishment just kind of faded into the background. With the event coming up again this year, I decided to give the 1920s another shot! I searched for some appropriate fabric for inspiration, going through several design iterations based on various options…

But I finally decided on this one, which I designed after seeing some sheer cotton striped batiste in a pale green. The fabric just looked so fresh and springy that I had to have it!

Unlike my previous 1920s dresses, this one has a waist seam, which will allow me to play with the skirt a bit more. The front and back panels of the skirt are flat, but the sides will be cut out of quarter-circles for a bit more fullness and movement.

You can also see that I’ve sketched in some floral decorations at the hip and shoulder– I haven’t yet decided whether those will be pre-made embroidered ribbon appliques (I ordered some on Etsy but they may not arrive in time), or flowers that I’ll make from hand-dyed ribbon. I’ll decide once the dress is made and I can get a better idea of what scale of embellishment would look better.

The main fabric is so sheer that it definitely needs another layer, so never fear, I also ordered a yard of plain pale green voile to make a slip to wear underneath.

Advertisement