Remade 1860's Dress into Bustle Era Dress

From the seller:

Victorian Silk Bustle Dress - Remade From Ca 1860's Civil War Era Dress


Scarlett wasn't the only one to take old fabric and put it to use in the 1870's. The skirt is a pretty bustle design, ruched in front and trimmed with silk ribbon fringe around the bottom. It drapes up in the back and it looks like a later train was matched up to it in a plain ivory silk taffeta, it's rows of scalloped ruffles trimmed around the edges with binding. It has a ruched band over the fringe, it's kind of a gray/blue shade (it hit me after I wrote it up, I would call this color putty), but probably was blue at one time. It's a pretty silk with tiney rosebuds in pinks, purple and some smaller yellow ones. The grayish/blue ruching is a pretty close shade to the fabric that makes the train. The skirt is trimmed with light faded blue bows down the front left side, they are also about the same color as the ruching. The lining has a pocket in it, but it doesn't seem to be access from the overskirt unless you raise up the hem of the print skirt. The bottom ruffle is trimmed straight and not hemmed, a modern cotton was sewn under the train to protect it from the ground. The bodice is definately more of a 1860's style, it's waist lenght, dropped shoulders with the blue piping in the seam. The sleeves have a ruched band down the top and it's ruched around the wrists and trimmed with bows that match the skirt. It has wood buttons that was wrapped in silk thread with a decorative design, but 2 are missing and a couple are shabby. There's bones in the 4 front darts that fan from the botton and on the side seam. One underarm has a 1 1/2 inch tear next to the piping, it would be an easy mend, the other is OK and on the waistband of the bodice there's a tear about 1 1/2inch from the the edge, if mended you could cover it with a bow, also needs a hook and eye and the bones are poking out of the end of the casing inside. It measures 38 inches around the bust, waist is 25, across the back shoulder is 13 1/2 and it's 16 1/4 inches long. The skirt I found a few pin holes, minor wear on the waistband, but nothing major. It measures 25 1/4 inches around the waist, hips are full and it's 42 inches long in center front, but the bottom should be hemmed. Overall in excellent condition.

From Me:

The bodice is still very 1860's in style. The waistline, the sleeves, and even the way it's trimmed scream 1860's. However the skirt, as the seller states, is completely 1870's. A cool re use of that favorite dress.