Retro 1960s Holiday Dress – Butterick 5748

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In 2016 I went to my very first company holiday party, so naturally I needed a new dress. The pattern is Butterick 5748, a retro sixties design which I’d had my eye on for a while. The bodice fabric is a remnant of cream taffeta with a black velvet design on it. For the skirt I used a burgundy crepe and the lining is cotton.
The pattern went together very well. The most difficult bit was the two notches on the front and back necklines, and that was because I wasn’t as accurate with my stitching as I could have been.
Instead of the bows I added covered buttons at the bottom of both notches. This is both a style accent and to hide the slight messiness caused by my less than accurate stitching. I also used half inch horsehair braid on the hem, to give the skirt more oomph.
I had some weirdness in the bodice between the shoulder and armpit area. After wearing it the first time I raised the shoulders by a good 1.5 inches on both sides. This completely fixed the problem. The pictures below are both from before the alteration

Pattern Number

Butterick 5748

Description

1960s retro dress

Difficulty

High Intermediate- You’ve made some complicated things and haven’t thrown them across the room in the process. You have done a shaped neckline or other shaped seam. You are happy taking the top of one pattern and the bottom of another, and adding the sleeves from a third pattern to make a dress.

Fabric and Trim

Bodice: Taffeta

Skirt: Burgundy crepe

Lining: Cotton

Trim: covered buttons

Instructions

This pattern goes together well, but I do recommend being very careful when stitching the notches front and back. It is really easy for this to go wonky!

Alterations

Raised the shoulders.

Conclusions

I highly recommend this dress for a simple retro look.

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