In this video I reproduce the iconic season one finale black dress Midge wears in the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I am using historical materials and methods to construct this dress. I also dive into the history of the little black dress. Subscribe if you enjoy 20th century fashion history and sewing.
So a little background on the cocktail dress I forgot to add into the video. Mixed drinks known as cocktails were already popular in Europe by 1905, however the dress with the same name came into being in 1947 after war rationing ended and women craved luxury. The elegant tea gowns and formal pajamas of the 1930s may have been a precursor for the cocktail dress. A formal dress made from silk velvet or brocade and was about the length of a day dress began to be wore to events where an evening gown wasn’t quite appropriate. In the mid-60s people began rejecting the cocktail dress as being too conservative.
It is also clear that Zakowska took inspiration from the dress Audrey Hepburn wore in Sabrina.
P.S. I forgot to mention I am wearing a petticoat in the reveal to enhance the volume of the skirt.
ig: / carolineelizabethmartin
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