Vintage Vogue Special Design 4350 or Mary Lou is Finished!

Mary Lou made her debut yesterday at the Junior Achievement black tie event. First, remember this?

And now, without further ado:

At this angle, you can't really see the petticoat very well. How about this?

A back view (where there are some unfortunate wrinkles but more petticoat showing):

A few observations:

• The sleeves don't stay on my shoulders that well as I opted not to put in the recommended elastic. I just had to go with an off the shoulder look after fussing with it the first hour or so.
• I'm not that happy with the fit over the bust. It looked great in the cotton muslin that is more form fitting than the stiff taffeta. Oh well.
• I need a different strapless bra.
• Tulle is itchy even over the polyester lining that it was sewn to.
• The entire outfit is probably highly flammable.
• The sleeve seam became not really noticeable. Something I was initially worried about.
• For a formal dress, it is actually very comfortable (aside from the itchy tulle and slipping shoulders). Primarily because I didn't need any belly smooshing undergarments.
• The pattern includes instructions and a pattern piece to make a belt. I just happened to have a RTW belt from another dress that matches perfectly.

 My photo shoot buddy, Danny