~ Elegant Civil War / Victorian 2 Piece Day Dress ~

This is a reproduction of a Civil War/Victorian 1860's era day dress. This dress is newly sewn by me and is constructed from authentic period patterns (based on actual garments from the period). This two piece dress would be perfectly for church on Sunday, an afternoon tea, or a stroll around the shops.

The fabric is a beautiful fabric of a deep blue-gray background with a paisley design in white, russet, deep green, pale yellow, and black. Paisley was a highly desireable fabric during the Civil War, and this paisley is extremely lovely. The bodice is trimmed with black fringe and accented with beautiful silver toned buttons with a celtic knot design. The dress is shown on a dress form with a bust measurement of 48 inches and a waist measurement of 42 inches. The dress is displayed over a 6-bone hoopskirt, which is not included. The skirt measures 46 inches at the center front from waist to the hem. This dress is unhemmed, and is slightly longer in the back to give a more graceful appearance. This is a period correct method for hemming a dress of this type as it allows the skirt to fall gracefully over the hips and not ride up in the back. The skirt has a generous 176 inch sweep.

The bodice closes with hand sewn hooks and eyes. The collar is a very fashionable 1 1/2 inches wide (the preferred collar width at the time) and is basted in so that it can be easily removed if it should require bleaching, but is fastened very securely so that you don't have to worry about it coming off. The bodice is lined with cotton muslin which will help this dress to retain it's shape and style for a long time to come. The pagoda sleeves and underside of the peplum are lined with the same paisley as the rest of the dress. The sleeves are trimmed with the same black fringe as the dress bodice.

The skirt fastens in the back with a hook and bar closure.

*** Only 100% cotton has been used to give breathability to the fabric in hot weather. All fabric was pre-washed before this outfit was made so that no shrinkage should occur.

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