Costume Design > Patterning > 1950’s Dress
1950’s Dress
Project Overview
Costume Rendering
For this assignment, I created a full pattern and mockup for a 1950s dress worn by Sandy in Grease. The design included gathered fabric at the bust line, a princess seam corset-style bodice, a Peter Pan collar, a bow detail, three front buttons, a circle skirt, and puffy sleeves. I was given a costume rendering and used it as my guide throughout the entire build.
I approached this project the same way I would in a professional costume shop by interpreting the designer’s sketch and translating it into a functional pattern. I used draping, flat patterning, and research of similar garments from CCM’s costume stock to determine grainlines, style lines, hem lengths, collar shape, and sleeve proportion.
From there, I produced a fully finished pattern on brown craft paper with clean cuts and notches, using no seam allowance. I then built the complete muslin mockup with proper seam allowances and topstitched style lines. The mockup included collar construction, sleeve shape, and skirt volume so it could be fit accurately on the designated dress form.
This project required active problem solving, careful analysis of period details, and clear communication with the designer. The final goal was to create a mockup that reflected the rendering and captured the 1950s silhouette of Sandy’s costume in a clean, accurate, and professional way.