This flirtacious frock was inspired by a dress
by Peggy Wood, a designer from the 50’s.

One of our very favorite vintage mavens had
the original, and it was so sassy and flattering
that she had worn it positively threadbare.

 

What’s a girl to do? She sent us this dress
and we carefully copied it.

We then added a few of our Whirlingturban
construction touches; some bells and whistles
to refine the fit that are only possible because
we make dresses here one by one, and are
able to do more hand-work than is practical
in a mass production setting.

At left, you can see this dress in progress.
The back view shows the dress with the
measurements completed, including the
bodice length - so critical to a flattering fit,
but that has to be standardized in a
mass-production setting. (And we all know
by now how few of us are standard!!!)

The dress is pinned on the form, zipper
placement is determined, the zipper is
then installed and the dress hemmed.

  .
One of the things we just love about
this dress is the small, “gravity-defying”
sleeves. A very wide expanse of chest
and shoulders was popular in
The Bombshell Era. A wide “Y” line
made by sleeves or shoulders straps
helped to enhance the prized hourglass-
shape figure; making the waist appear
narrower by contrast.

If you’ve ever had a strap or sleeve slip
off your shoulders, you can imagine the
engineering feat required to keep that
sleeve or strap clinging to the outermost
edge of the shoulder without it slipping off!

There are a number of little tricks used in
constructing this dress toward that end,
including the addition of an very easily-
accessed spot where an easy, five minute
alteration can be done to fine-tune this
sleeve’s fit, if necessary.

  .
We know how expensive it can be
as well as how difficult to find a
qualified alterations person.

We fit our dresses just as perfectly
as we can from a distance.
(We’ve had lots of experience
working from measurements,
before starting Whirlingturban,
when we worked with stars who
tend to be inaccessible for fittings!)

So, we fit our dresses as perfectly
as possible using the measurements
our customers submit to us,
and then carefully plan any spots
that may need fine-tuning.

We construct those areas so that
they are quickly and easily-accessed,
and quickly and easily adjusted,
preferably by an alterations person
with the skill level readily available
at dry cleaners.

Please note the elastic panel, for cling n’
comfort, at the side of bodice. And by the
way, you can wear this dress two ways!
The front bodice panels can also be worn
above the breasts. (See photo below.)
We were never able to get great picture
of the dress in this position, but this is the
way our vintage maven always wore the
dress! Try it!

  .
This dress is available by size only (not custom fit). Please see the size parameters on our price&size list (available upon request! click "here")
.
Go to "Catalogue of Styles" and please choose one of the styles,
then follow the instructions, you'll find an extras and accessories order page