I've made two versions of this elegant gown, both in pink silk satin, but one with gold rouleaux embroidery and lace, and the other with silver.   I still can't decide which I prefer!  

What drew me to this design initially was the unusual bias draped inverted "V" shaped panel at the front, and the metallic net bodice overlay, with its beautiful rouleaux applied trim.  I made and applied all of the silk rouleaux by hand with fine silk thread, a task that took many, many hours.  In the end, the gown was as close as I could manage to making an authentic replica of the 1909 French design (see photo of the 1909 fashion sketch).

​This gown was constructed precisely in the manner of formal evening gowns of the era, with a full boned foundation of silk taffeta and underskirt of China silk (see photos of inside construction).  

The version with silver embellishment is shown below (this was a bespoke order for a client).  

Of all the years of the Edwardian era, I think 1909 is my favourite.  It was a year when the graceful, flowing lines of the Edwardian aesthetic met the concept of a svelte, sinuous form -- the end of the S-curve era, but with a more refined, elegant simplicity than the over-embellished fashions of the earlier years. 

This evening gown is a perfect example.  I took the pattern directly from a French sewing pattern of late 1909, but the style would have been fashionable until 1912.  The process of extracting the pattern pieces from the original, heavily damaged pattern sheet and grading it for more modern sizes is worth a small book on its own!  But I did manage to bring this lovely gown "back to life", once in a smaller size in purple silk satin, and once in taupe charmeuse in a larger size.  Both were constructed just as the original would have been, in layers over a boned silk taffeta foundation.  

The sewing pattern for this beautiful and iconic Edwardian evening or ball gown is available in my Etsy shop -- just click on the button below.  Since it is a fairly complex style, requiring good sewing skills, I recommend it for those with fairly advanced experience.   The pattern comes with a complete booklet of sewing instructions keyed to "construction help" photos on this website.