The pattern for this dress was a very popular style 
in the late 1980s, often used for bridal wear, and Patricia King’s striking colour combination and fabric choice were very much of the time. The garment is beautifully finished with lace scalloped edging, full lining, and with a tulle underskirt that creates form and volume. Unlike most of Patricia’s sewing projects, she didn’t adapt or tweak the pattern – she was too busy at the time with her small children. Patricia wore this dress only once, to attend her husband’s award ceremony at the Sheraton. However,
 the dress has enjoyed further use as the costume of choice for her grown-up daughters to wear at 80s themed parties. Read more about the history of home sewing in the New Zealand Fashion Museum publication Home Sewn.