The wasp waist and full skirt epitomize “The New Look” created by Christian Dior after World War II. The fitted waist with full skirt generally lasted until the early Sixties when Jackie Kennedy became the new style icon. When people think of this look, they often think of the skirt being gathered at the waist. But that look doesn’t work for everyone. I know for me, it makes me look like I’m in the chorus of The Sound of Music.
But there are other ways to achieve a full skirt and this Vogue Pattern #8932 shows us how it is done: Pleats.
Vogue #8932 c. 1950s; Image source unknown.
Vogue 8932 evelope back; image source unknown.
The designer of this dress added fullness to the skirt by using box pleats at every seam. She also added pockets at the side seams (that’s why I think the designer is a she…a woman would understand that mothers can always use pockets to hold stuff!).
I love box pleats. They are so easy to make and if the pleat intake isn’t perfect, no one will notice. I love how they make a skirt “swingy” and easy to move in. I don’t like having to iron them, though.
As an aside, I love how the original owner of this pattern drew half of the collar onto the sleeveless view to see how it would look. The Mister has drawn on a lot of my patterns with suggestions on how I should alter the pattern to be more flattering for my figure. Of course, that was before I had gone to design school….
What about you? Do you like pleats?
I’ve never really made pleats before. It’s a thought though, I am not always a fan of the way gathers look on a chunk monkey like myself
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