I love of all things shiny. Combine this with my favorite co-conspirator in fashion, my Bernina 730, and the result is High Society. This charming 1950’s ensemble is reminiscent of a simpler time when afternoon cocktail parties were in vogue and even the most sophisticated ladies longed to be Grace Kelly and secretly swooned over Gable and Bogart.

Fashioned of luscious green-gold silk shot with turquoise, discovered in the Fashion District of Los Angeles, the dress features a tight-fitted bodice and a sweetheart neckline. The very full skirt swings easily with the satisfying swish of real silk that makes every woman feel beautiful. The long petticoat you see playing peak-a-boo at the hem is 80 yards of ruffled turquoise nylon net sewn to the bottom of a petticoat.

The most remarkable piece of the ensemble is the over-the-top really-fake faux fur stole. Over 3000 thousand yards of net strips were sewn in a virtually countless number of rows to capture the look of the fur stole every stylish woman in the 50s either owned or coveted. I credit my Bernina machine and its ruffler attachment for making what would have been an overwhelming construction project into one that was actually quite simple. My love for shine shows through in every one of the thousands of sequins hand-applied to every available turquoise net surface.

No glamorous lady of the era would be caught at a party without sporting a chic hat. Constructed of the dress silk and the sparkly polyester fabric used to line the stole, this oh-so-French confection serves beautifully as the perfect finish for this woman of style.