The silhouette of the 1840s is fabulous. I love the look of wide shoulders to emphasize the small waist (or create the illusion of a small waist).
 | |
| 1840s Silk Dress, source unknown. |
 |
| Jenny Lind. Source: Library of Congress |
So I instantly went ga-ga over the Truly Victorian TV454 1845 German Day Dress pattern when it came out in 2007. I made the gathered front version with a sheer cotton plaid in the Summer of 2007 and made the bretelle version in Fall 2010. Truly Victorian patterns are sized in such a way that you can easily adapt them to your specific measurements. Mine mostly corresponded with Size C, but I did make the sleeve pieces narrower.
I was inspired this daguerreotype to play with the stripes of the fabric:
 |
| Source: finedags.com |
 |
| My version of the 1845 German Day Dress at Columbia State Historic Park Diggins Event |
 |
| I matched the squiggles! |
The front of the bodice has four pieces, so I piped the center seam to add a little contrast. I lost 10 pounds from the point of cutting out the fashion fabric, so it doesn't fit like I had planned. The bretelles also need some sort of interfacing to keep their shape since they kept folding in at my underarm. I have plans to take this dress apart to fit my smaller frame fix the bretelles. Onwards and upwards!
