Saturday, November 17, 2012

A Closer Look: 1960's Sheath Dress with Cape Drape


I thought it might be fun to take a closer look at this Mad Men era sheath dress with a great cape drape around the neckline. The back view really makes the dress, while the front view has a classic silhouette.

It looks like a circle cape is sewn around the neckline, that plunges to a deep "V" that is squared off at the point with a wide bow in back. This cape was then folded up at the neckline in front (see detail), and arranged over the shoulders in a fold, while the back floats open.

I include here a view that shows me lifting the back drape so you can see how it is sewn to the dress.

And finally a few close-up views to show more details.

This pink crepe cocktail dress was designed by Anita Modes (I'm guess it was sold at the popular Anita shops). It is fully lined with a center back zipper that has the cape floating open over that zip. A wide bow covers this opening. The sheath dress design has darts to fit and is very simple.

Isn't this inspiring? This style of cape could be added to an existing simple dress for a great holiday look. It flows nicely in crepe here, but a soft satin or even a soft lace could be gorgeous over a simple dress you already own. I would love to try draping this kind of cape collar sometime. If you try it, let me know how it goes!