~ Elegant Civil War / Victorian 2 Piece Dress ~ ~

This is a reproduction of a Civil War/Victorian 1860's era two-piece dress. This outfit is simply stunning! This outfit is newly sewn by me and is constructed from period patterns. 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 paisley in deep teal, lighter teal, and small touches of gold. Paisley was a highly desireable fabric in this era, and this dress would have been the highlight of any woman's daytime wardrobe. The trim is a wonderful black braid.

The top of the dress features fabric-covered buttons on the back and black frog closures in the front. The dress secures with hand-sewn hook and eye closures attached from behind where they can't be seen, but you are ensured that your dress won't come open. The outfit is shown on a dress form with a bust measurement of 47 inches and a waist measurement of 40 inches. It is displayed over a 6-bone hoopskirt, which is not included. The bodice is fully lined with muslin, and the undersides of the peplum and the insides of the sleeves are lined with 100% cotton in black to complement the trim color.

The skirt is also 100% cotton, and is a trimmed with two rows of the same beautiful braid. The skirt measures 42 1/2 inches at the center front from waist to the bottom edge and is unhemmed. The skirt fastens in the back with a hook and bar closure. This skirt has been pleated onto the waistband using period correct directional pleats. It has a generous 176 inch sweep and is slightly longer in the back. This is a period correct method for hemming as it allows the skirt to fall gracefully over the hips and not ride up in the back.

*** Except for the trim, 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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