Calm Under Tension by Gwen Gyldenege
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The Art of the 20's Dress: Trying on Ideas in Pear Shape

6/25/2014

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Usually, I try to visualize an outfit before I wear it.  Sometimes I can, othertimes I cannot. If it's not a style I've worn, it can be a challenge to see what will my body shape look like.  The 1920's styles are boxy, straight, and very loose to allow a woman complete freedom around her midriff/ribcage.  They had just ditched corsets and were suffragettes, you know.  They were empowered!  So this boxy style symbolizes freedom. 
"Votes for women!" 

Oh, whoops. 

Heh heh... a little Glynis Johns as a suffragette in Mary Poppins for ya.  
20′s Sew Along
When I struggle to visualize, I am learning to sketch out what I feel or see in my minds eye. This is a challenge.  Instead of usually seeing myself as I am, I often get the image of the model or sketch on the pattern in my head. It's not that my body is of any less value, it's just that I see the pattern model and think, that's how it should look on me. It's sort of like the record in my head skips and then keeps skipping. 

Considering that I don't normally resonate with straight, boxy shapes, I knew I really needed to explore some designs that would be true to the era and flattering to my pear shaped/hour-glassy curves.   With the help of my mother, another excellent visualizer, I decided that a couple patterns from Past Patterns would be flattering and simple enough for me to take on as my first 1920's dress. With a style this unfamiliar to my sewing knowledge, I need a base to start from rather than drafting my entire pattern.  
Did you know the album to Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and some song clips are available on Spotify?  How utterly divine.

Queue the Miss Fisher Theme Song! 

Though I must say in addition to the theme song, Positively Absolutely, Sad Snoop Blues, and Sailing on a Sunbeam are my favorites.  I bet my Grandma's loved them too!

I chose a girl's dress pattern and a woman's evening gown.  My intent is to make these into a summer sundress that could not only work as a 1920's costume, but also be wearable for an everyday 2014 summer frock.

#8721: Girl's Sleeveless Dress: Circa 1929-1930

I begin my sketch with an outline of my body, making sure to draw my full thighs, round hips, etc. If I make sure those are even a little larger than normal, my eye and memory can get a "feel" for my body.  This is really hard to describe. So much of this is intuitive, muscle memory, and remembering what I look like in the mirror and through photos. So, hips & thighs in place, I sketch the rest of me. Yes, always with big lips. That's my trademark from way back in elementary school days.  

After the body outline is in place, I begin to draw in clothes. I repeat this process, creating a new outline with every new sketch. It just feels right to recreate my foundation.  I could sketch one, photo copy it and use that as a base, but I like the practice and I'm rarely with any more materials than a pen.  As you can see from my instagram post in early May, when I was travelling, all I had was the local newspaper and my pen. That didn't stop me sketching out Deer & Doe's Chataigne short on my body shape.
I decided to play with the girls dress since I am usually attracted to kid styles anyway. Does that make me unsophisticated and declasse? Nah!  I think the swoosh or curved gathering at the yolk (left) is kind of cute.  Looks fun on me (right), but given the blousing at the waist, I'm not so sure.  I also think I didn't quite get the blousing low enough. Hmm... I feel ok about this one. I'll probably try making it and/or sketching it anyway, but it's not my first choice at this point.
Picture
Source: Past Patterns. #8721: Girl's Sleeveless Dress: Circa 1929-1930
Picture
Original sketch by Gwen Gyldenege. Sketch shows how Past Patterns #8721 would look on my pear shaped body.

#4990: Ladies’ and Misses’ Slip-On Dress: Autumn 1927

Moving right along to dress #2. This is a much more elegant dress. Plus I like how the flounce or draped rectangular panels give triangular impressions to the eye. After sketching it on my body and playing with design ideas, I like this one best. It appears to draw the eye down the body, whereas the girls dress draws my eye directly to the flounce and yolk point, then up.
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Source: Past Patterns. #4990: Ladies’ and Misses’ Slip-On Dress: Autumn 1927
Picture
Original sketch by Gwen Gyldenege. Sketch shows how Past Patterns #4990 would look on my pear shaped body.
I'd love to know your impressions of the sketches.  Which would you choose?
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    Gwen Gyldenege

    Author: 
    Gwen Gyldenege

    I'm a one woman circus.  
    I'm curvy and athletic.
    ​I am a dancer.
    My last name translates 
    to "Golden Oak". 

    I'm an artist, intuitive, engineer, seamstress 
    and performer.

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Except for sources otherwise stated beneath images or bottom of the page (Creative Commons), all images and works are copyright Gwen Gyldenege, all rights reserved.  Contact Gwen to request permission.
Photos used under Creative Commons from I Robertson, DoNotLick, Gustty, Jayson Emery, Nbepko, Gamma Man, I Robertson, Lars Plougmann, RowdyKittens, Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious, The Wandering Angel, VasenkaPhotography, quinn.anya, Léa Chvrl, Lost Albatross, Guttorm Flatabø, BEST PHOTO, RowdyKittens, allistair, BozDoz, tanakawho, Navicore, Bilal Kamoon, D-Stanley, Kris Krug, glasseyes view, essers, Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious, Alex Pepperhill, Found Animals, adactio, Office Now