~ Civil War Afternoon/Tea Dress ~ SASS ~

This is a beautiful 2 piece afternoon/tea dress in a beautiful polka dot design. The Victorians loved geometrics for apparel, and polka dots were no exception! This dress truly demonstrates the ingenuity of Americans in achieving the look they wanted without waste, as the clever design of this bodice is one piece, but achieves the look of two pieces through the use of trim.

The fabric is a beautiful woven plaid in navy, cranberry, light green, and white. Plaids were extremely popular during this era, due to Queen Victoria's influence. The bodice is trimmed with white lace and cranberry bias fabric trim. This was a popular style of trimming a bodice during the Civil War as it gave the look of a two piece top (jacket and weskit), without the extra bulk. The dress has mother of pearl look two hole buttons. The dress is shown on a dress form with a bust measurement of 47 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 1/2 inches at the center front from waist to the hem. This skirt 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 skirt fastens in the center back with a hook and bar closure.

This dress has many hours of hand stitching, as all of the bias trim is stitched to the dress by hand.

The bodice closes with individually hand-sewn period correct hook and eye closures and is fully lined in 100% cotton muslin, which wears very well and helps to keep the lines smooth over many washes and wearings.

*** 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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