September 21st, 2010
Sew Be It
In 1923, when Mary Brooks Picken of the Woman's Institute first introduced her one hour dress, few people took her seriously. The critics were silenced when the pretty flapper dress was completed in 34 minutes flat at a New York City demonstration.
“You may receive a phone call at one o'clock inviting you to a little impromptu gathering of friends at three, and you can go, if you wish, wearing a dainty new frock made in the time you would ordinarily spend wondering what to wear,” says the now hard-to- find book The One Hour Dress.
Download a digital version of The One Hour Dress ($17) and fashion your very own frock. Your first attempt may take more than an hour, but before long, you’ll be sewing up a runway of dresses.
