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The basic front and back views. The bodice is shaped with tucks, not darts. They look virtually identical, but the tucks would flare out a little at top, giving the illusion of more width across the chest. The back is one piece. The fabric is tucked and topstitched to give the illusion of three pieces. The neckline, armcyes and waistline are piped. The front closes with hooks and eyes, several of which are missing. The hooks are set in about an inch. There is a thread eye set in about an inch and a hook at the edge on the waistline of the bodice. The velvet ribbon is sewn only at the top edge. The cuffs are trimmed with velvet ribbon and faced with black silk.
Left: A side view, showing the rather dramatic difference between the level of the front waist and back.
Right: A close up of the tucks.
Left: The tuck opened. There would be no extra fabric above the stitching with a dart.
Right: The piping around the waist of the bodice.
Left: The back, with a view of the very narrow center back section and the side seams angled towards the back.
Right: A detail of the tiny armscye piping.
Left: An overall 3/4 view of the back.
Right: An eye. These are actually black, the light from the flash made it look silver.
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