B8155: The Technicolour Dream Skirt

Here is the first finished example of my favourite skirt pattern - Burda 8155. I love pencil skirts - so was curious to find out at what point in history they made their first appearance. 

The most interesting anecdote has revolved around Mrs Berg - the first female aeroplane passenger back in 1908. This was of course when planes weren't enclosed, so the pilots tied a piece of rope around her ankles (how romantic) to prevent her skirts from blowing up and undoing her modesty. Here she is:

This photo became a famous postcard, and the fashion houses of the day soon created the above skirts legacy which was nicknamed the 'Hobble Skirt':

There's a fabulous dearth of information on the scandal of these skirts over at Edwardian Promenade. I can only image that over time as skirt lengths became shorter, we ended up with the version I've created:

I'm loving the grosgrain ribbon as the waistband - its a skirt look that seems to be popping up everywhere at the moment, from ASOS to Elli Saab's haute couture Spring/Summer 2011 range. 

This skirt is the first step for me to start wearing more colour on the bottom, instead of just on the top. I think I'll be getting quite a bit of wear out of it this summer!