I hope to inspire and entertain you with a lot of sewing and a little of everything else!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Part I: Dress or Suit??

I have 4 little garments to share with you. I'm hoping to post one per day for the next 4 days- IF I can get them photographed. I want your opinions on whether these are tunics and shorts or dresses and panties.
Here is a close-up of the outfit. It is a beautiful vintage purple color. The fabric is broadcloth, but the collar and cuffs are a rather stiff linen. The whole thing ironed well. I love the details on the top. It has a shaped hem, interesting sleeves gathered onto the yoke, and lovely cross-stitch on the front. There is a little hole under 2 of the 6 buttons on the front, which should be easy to repair.
The front view: notice how roomy this outfit is in width. You can tell by the top picture that it is wide compared to its length. The bottoms need the right foundation under them: a "waist" with buttons. I didn't have such a garment, so I pinned them at the sides and there was about 4" of overlap, so either the original owner was chubby, or these were meant to fit loosely. It would have fit longer, too. The tag inside says, "Best, Co. New York" so this was not a home made outfit. Imagine being able to purchase this quality at a store today!






Finally, the back view. The top closes with 6 mother of pearl buttons. The shoulders are a bit "dropped" or this is too big for Andy. He enjoyed having his picture taken and didn't want to take the outfit off afterwards. He was chasing a ball and going down a slide wearing this, so I can vouch for it being a practical outfit.
After seeing this outfit, what do you vote: boy or girl??
I'll be back tomorrow with the next outfit and we'll see if it changes your opinion!

2 comments:

Laura said...

Would it be a bad thing to admit that I've seen illustrations for similar outfits in my copy of Singer's "Sewing for Children"? It was published in 1928, and yes, it's meant to button to undergarments. From the color, I'd say it's for a girl, but the styles for very young children were almost identical....

Jan said...

It reminds me of a painters shirt, so I'm voting for a tunic and shorts.

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