Pretty dress, isn't it? From Spring 1949, this rayon crepe dress by Berkeley Juniors sold for $15 (about $143 in today's dollar.) That's not an outrageous amount of money. But I guarantee that if you go out and spend $143 on a modern dress at the mall today, the quality will not compare to this dress from 1949. And you won't find the intricate details that make this dress so special.
You see, the light and dark stripes are not printed on the fabric. Those are separate panels of fabric that have been seamed together. To make the dress even more special, the seams are accented with contrasting saddle stitch embroidery. I can't tell if the saddle stitching is done by machine or hand here, but it really serves to take this dress to the next level. Saddle stitch is a variation of a basic running stitch with a longer stitch length. It is intended to be a strong accent and is usually worked in a thick, decorative thread like buttonhole twist in a contrasting color.
