The 1950s Overdress: Butterick 6307
This is another of the overdresses which became popular for a while during the 1950s. The one I made and blogged about earlier, was inspired by the re-issued Simplicity 8252 and featured a sheer overdress. I use a silk organza over the Big Blooms print dress made from re-issued Butterick 6582 from 1960. A sheer is a great way to add only a bit of coverage and enjoy a lot of color play during the summer months.
But when it is colder, a overdress of a weightier fabric is in order. This one goes over a classic 1950s silhouette with a fitted bodice and a flared skirt. The overdress works almost as a coat, as it has a belt, but it is otherwise completely open. This creates a kind of added hourglass emphasis to the silhouette, and an hourglass was one of the most popular looks in the 1950s.
And the overdress allows for color play as the lining of the overdress can match the dress as can the collar. You see here that they choose merely pink and black, but one could imagine a print for the dress or the lining and many ways in which you could work with color harmonies. This overdress also allows you to bring up a particularly flattering color near the face with its standing shawl collar.
As with any overdress, the charm of the dress is when the wearer moves. Every step of her legs reveals the dress fabric beneath, or in this case both the lining and the dress fabric are revealed with each step. Of course, then she has the option of doffing the overdress for dancing or if the weather requires it.
This pattern was re-issued in 1999, although copies can still be sold on the web. But I would also urge you to imagine how you could make an overdress out of a pattern you already have. After all, my silk organza overdress had merely a widened and lengthened skirt from the dress pattern and then a drafted pattern for the bodice. Once you realize you simply need to make it fit over the dress you want to wear it with, you will recognize lots of possibilities.
