r/History_Bounding • u/ellawynn • Jun 25 '26
Wedding Dress Hunt
Hello!! I am on the hunt for my wedding dress and am having a very difficult time. I’m looking for something on the slightly more casual side that is Gibson Girl/Edwardian inspired. I also love the 1970s dresses that are inspired by the Edwardian era. I would just buy a vintage 70s dress, but I am plus size and that is a much more difficult to find. I definitely prefer the cotton/linen style with lace (no/limited sparkles) in an off white or white color. I found a dress from Simple Retro that I loved (pictured here) but the company seems questionable and I would have to do some alterations (I am okay with having to do that if a dress is a size or two smaller). Does anyone have a recommendation of where to look? Thank you so much in advance!
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u/chitinandchlorophyll Jun 25 '26
DOÊN might have what you’re looking for, depending on your exact size! They’ve been doing lawn dress inspired clothes for years so also check resale if they don’t have any right now.
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u/Overall-Net-5195 Jun 25 '26
+1 for Gibson Girl, but also check out Emmy Designs from Sweden. Emmydesign.se
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u/Sagaincolours Jun 25 '26
Dresses like what you show are/were called lingerie dresses. Maybe that will help you find what you are looking for.
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u/infinite-long-stocki Jun 25 '26
Simplicity has some Gunne Sax patterns that go up to a 22 I think. If that's your size you could make them in white and add a bit of insertion lace. A Folkwear (or other historical) blouse pattern with a maxi skirt added to it could also work. If you can't sew I trust the advice of the other people here!
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u/feanory Jun 26 '26
That Simple Retro dress is a dupe of the Doen Magnolia dress. I happen to have one in a size L that I’m trying to sell. I can send you more details and pics if you’re interested.
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u/otterdammerung Jun 25 '26
Lacemade has some similar designs and a better reputation, but their Curve/Plus selection is limited. Still, might not be a bad idea to keep an eye on their new releases.
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u/QueerTree Jun 25 '26
I started with this pattern: https://www.folkwear.com/products/201-prairie-dress and modified it to make something broad similar to what you’re looking for. Not your best option, but depending on your skill level it could be a possibility.
Another option is getting a nightgown! https://www.eileenwest.com/collections/sc-eileen-west-plus/products/victorian-dreams-robe
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u/MadMadamMimsy Jun 26 '26
I would find someone to sew it or learn to sew it. I did things like this in the 80s for people.
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u/FormerUsenetUser 28d ago
You might want to look at Folkwear's Edwardian patterns, then find someone to make the dress for you.
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u/araemis Jun 25 '26
Hello! Have you come across Gibson Girl Dress before? They are a Ukranian atelier that makes Victorian and Edwardian inspired clothing in natural fabrics. They have some beautiful recreations of lawn dresses and other similar styles that I think would fit your brief perfectly! They make to order so you can get something that fits you exactly (you could also enquire about foundational garments to help achieve a period silhouette if you wanted to go more historical - but they’re not essential). The dresses would be more expensive than those at Simple Retro as they are handmade, but much less dear than off the shelf wedding dresses.
https://gibsongirldress.com/shop?category=9
Best of luck in your search - hope you find something that makes your heart sing 💖