"Rear Window" Black Cocktail Dress

This is the last costume from the film "Rear Window" that I planned on making. Actually I am planning on making another small batch of green suits and a bunch of yellow print dresses in a few months.



This dress isn't as well known as the black and white dress, but I think it is a beautiful dress.





The bodice is made of chiffon underlined in satin. The sleeves are also chiffon that are lined in peach organza to give them a sheer look. The satin collar ties in the front and the ends are sewn into the bodice side seams.









After I designed and made my prototype, I came across this picture on the Internet.



It was the most detailed photograph of this dress that I have ever seen. I sort of wish I hadn't seen it. "Well dang-it!", I thought "There are pleats on the bodice too." I decided I wasn't going to change my design, because it would be too hard to figure out how to do the pleats on the bodice. I also needed all of my prepleated fabric that I had for the skirts.

Then I came across this picture.

Look at the detail at the neckline! What the heck! I never saw that in the film! But then again, black doesn't show detail very well.

SEE?

I'm really glad I didn't see that other picture while I was making these dresses. It would have been very hard to do that detail in miniature.

Prepleated fabric is very hard to find. Even though I bought a pleater a few months ago, I'm not crazy, brave enough to try to pleat chiffon. My mother picked up this skirt at a second-hand store.



The pictures don't show the details very well, but the skirt was divided into three different sections. The top of the skirt had tiny micro pleats. A third of the way down the skirt the pleats get bigger.



At the bottom of the skirt the pleats get very soft. I would love to have 10 of these skirts. One for me to wear in a size that fits me and 9 to cut up and make more doll dresses out of.

I took this skirt to the dry cleaners and the lady working there commented on how lovely it was. I made the mistake of telling her that I was going to cut it up and make doll clothes out of it. She freaked out! "You can't do that!" she cried. I told her that I wouldn't be able to wear a size 8 in my wildest dreams and that I would be able to make 6 doll dresses out of it. She didn't get me at all, sigh. What is so weird about cutting up a nice skirt to make doll clothes? Doesn't everyone do that? Whatever, I'm recycling!



I used the top 2/3rds of the skirt to make four dresses. The other dresses were made out of some prepleated fabric that I bought years ago and always wished I had bought more of.

I lightened the picture to show the details better.

This dress also fits the Tonner dolls well.

All the dresses have been sold.