The Daytripper Dress is a fun, flirty day or cocktail dress that draws inspiration from styles of the late 30s to early 50s.
Ruching at centre bust adds shaping and visual interest. Gathered shoulder yokes join bodice front to form sweetheart neckline and cap sleeves.
Two skirt options allow you to customise your look: give it a late 30s swing with the 6-gore flared skirt (view 1), or channel more of a 1950s vibe with a full circle skirt (view 2). The bodice can also be combined with the Going Places skirt (April's Patreon project) for even more design possibilities.
Three metres of original vintage novelty print fabric (shown above right and in main pattern photo) indirectly provided the inspiration for this dress - I wanted to create a dress with design features worthy of this special fabric, while being economical with the limited yardage. I’ve also reproduced the design, and it’s now available in my Spoonflower shop.
The integral cap sleeves make this dress a surprisingly quick and deceptively easy project, accessible for beginners but with enough design details to interest experienced sewists alike - and a great stash-buster to boot!
Dress can be made with facings, full lining, or partial lining (bodice only).
The Daytripper dress is available in vintage sizes 14-24, in four cup size variations. Get the pattern and instructions on my Patreon page (available to Appliqué Aficionado tier and above).