1911 Day Dress

This dress was originally created for the DFW Costumers' Guild Suffragette Picnic, and I liked it so much that I have worn it to several other events this summer as well. It is closely based on the 1911 dress featured in Patterns of Fashion, but I substituted a lower collar to keep it cooler. The gown is made of a lovely linen/cotton blend, edged in silk, and the undersleeves and underbodice are made with antique drawn threadwork.

I'm wearing this dress over a chemise, princess petticoat, and reproduction 1910's corset and brassiere, so there are still quite a few layers involved, but it much cooler and more comfortable than my Victorian costumes for summer outings. I'm quite hooked on Edwardian costuming now!

I created a mini-dress diary about the construction of this dress and hat on my blog if you are interested in reading that. I also wrote 2 articles about the corset for the online corsetry magazine, Foundations Revealed, although that site requires a subscription to read my article.