Lolwat

So I cut the first mockup of the 30s dress top.

…

I don’t think these photos could actually convey the absurdity of how it looked.

I think this was design as a crop top for flat chested aliens

Let’s count out the issues:

Head opening was too small, could barely get it over my head
Shoulder seams were sitting way too far back (likely because there wasn’t enough room for my neck? Not sure how to fix this.)
Despite adding 2 inches, it is still too tight in the waist
Way too short in front, and a bit too short in back (although part of that is how far back the entire top seems to be sitting on my shoulders).
Really really binding on the back of the arms if I tried to move my arms forward (this is the one I have the least idea of how to fix

In short, yikes. I’m not sure if I want to mess with this version, or toss it and drape my own top.

The one thing I do need to get into my head – THIS IS STILL NOT A MODERN TOP. I was confused by how shapeless it was, but the pattern has no darts or shaping seams. If you think about it, that makes sense. The fashion from the 1920s was shapeless sacks designed to look boyish. This is only a few years later – while dresses are starting to emphasize the waistline, we aren’t seeing the shape around the bust change immediately.

Here are some other 1930s dresses and patterns to compare (for fun, by the same company as my pattern: