Dresses

 

 

Dresses

Our halter dresses have a sweetheart neckline, shaped bodice and fully circular skirt for that fabulous fifties look. We make some dresses with bones at the front and back, but we also make them just boned at the back. Dresses with halter tie straps can be worn crossed over at the back, if you are not a fan of halter necks. The sizes are designed with today's body-shape in mind as our waists are generally larger than they were in the 1950's.

We're also now introducing some dresses which cover the shoulders/upper arms to suit more tastes. These are based on original late 1940's and 1950's dress patterns and you'll see a variety of necklines and skirt styles.

Dresses are individually made by us in West Sussex and are not mass produced in factories or bought in from overseas. Although we won't have large stocks to choose from it means you won't see lots of ladies wearing the same dress!

The sizes are the approximate measurement of the dress unless otherwise stated. Please bear in mind that 100% cotton is likely to shrink a little during the first wash and that your waist is usually bigger when you sit down!

Although we're not offering to make dresses to your individual size requirements you'll still need to get measured before choosing the best size. We've deliberately taken away the size numbers as we've found they vary so much between different shops and brands it's very misleading.

Our range of dress fabrics includes many of the cotton prints you will see on the skirts pages. If you'd like to receive some fabric swatches please send a stamped addressed envelope (large letter stamp) to the address on the Contact Us page.

Cotton fabrics may shrink a little during their first wash. We test wash a sample of each new roll of fabric and in general, shrinkage is usually between 1% and 3%. To put this into perspective, with 2% shrinkage a 28" waist might shrink to around 27.5" after the first wash. If a dress is skin-tight when you try it on, it will probably be too small after the first wash!.

100% cotton is best ironed damp. Do not iron bones, zip or elastic in halter strap. Or dry clean to minimize shrinkage.

All circular skirted dresses are pictured with an elastic belt and worn over a full chiffon petticoat (not included in the dress price) - please see Belts and Petticoat pages for prices.