1860’s Orange Plaid Silk Taffeta Dress

I lucked into this piece of orange/yellow/green/magenta silk plaid on eBay for a very small sum, I am thinking about $35, many years ago. I had just enough – with only the tiniest scraps left – to make this 1860’s day dress. It is modeled after an original in a private collection. The bodice trim and basic styling I copied from this dress, which was also made of a very similar silk taffeta plaid. The skirt is not as full as I would have liked, as I only had enough fabric for 3 skirt panels.  Also made with custom fit patterns based on Heidi Marsh “Basic Tops“.