Sometimes a pattern simply elicits an "ooh, pretty!" Check out Vogue 1488:
How gorgeous is that? Kudos to the pattern illustrator -- I could get lost in that drawing. The fabulous pink, the green skirt with purple bow and patterned bodice (where can I get that fabric?!) And the black cocktail dress set off with a pale blue bow and darker blue shoes? Be still my freakin' heart. It's all so darn pretty that the whole mini-me aspect of Pink Gown doesn't bother me one bit.
(And as much as I'd adore to have this pattern...if you run across it, give a shout out to Cindy, who posted that she was looking for it over at Sew Retro.)
According to the pattern description, the skirt on Vogue 1488 is a "barrel skirt" -- a term I hadn't heard before. A quick Google search didn't turn up much, surprisingly, but from what I've gathered a barrel skirt lives up to its name. It's narrow at the waist, gets full at the hips and then narrows again at the hem. Here's another example from the vintage wiki, Vogue S-4853:
I love the bow detail and think the design is cool, but I have to admit -- there's something about it that makes me want to pick these women up and ring them like bells.
If any of you have more information on barrel skirts, I'd love to hear it! I did find some fashion articles from the New York Times circa 1917 that talk about them with great passion, and I'll be posting more about that tomorrow.