the Intaglio Dress

   So when you have more patterns than you know what to do with, where do you start? Ballgowns or bathing suits? The appeal of any particular design relative to the others kept waning and waxing depending almost entirely on whether I was working on it or not, but eventually I realized that I kept coming back to this dress from 1930.  After taking a closer look, I began to realize why.

   Like many others, it has lovely Art Deco lines and delicate details, but it's also a very versatile design. The seaming offers so much potential for beautiful color blocking, while the frillier elements are easily removed for a more toned-down look. It could be dressed up with bright silks or dressed down with neutral wools. The long undersleeves make it well suited for cold weather, while the epaulette oversleeves on their own would be perfect on a light summer dress. The scooped bust and hip yokes evoke that iconic Roaring 20s drop-waisted style while simultaneously expressing the fashion shift of the time toward a more fitted silhouette (with the help of a discreet waist seam and side closure).  It has a little bit of everything without losing itself, and remains a very wearable small piece of history.

   This means I have a bit of a problem. I need to sew this pattern up to be able to test it out and fill in the sparse original instructions, but with so many possibilities, how could I make just one dress? Indecision, thy name is 'Intaglio.' The solution that I've settled on is borderline masochistic. 

   So it begins...