Butterick 5813 - A Dress For the Office from 1956

1956 goes to the office.   I like this Butterick pattern because it is retro but not in that "look at me and nothing else" sort of way.  The result is a wearable dress. 

 Here is the pattern cover.  I made view B.

 As the pattern is written, the dress has a zipper, but I left it out.  The fabric I chose has a tiny bit of stretch and I made it with enough ease that I can easily put it on without the zipper.  Part of me would have liked to make it tighter and involve foundation garments, but I needed to make it practical.

Here is the only thing I didn't like about the pattern.  It is the front tie. 

 It looks terrible and I couldn't find a way to tie it nicely.  It looked like five kinds of bad no matter how many you tube videos I watched on how to tie a bow.  Clearly I am missing a skill I am aware I should have picked up in kindergarten.

 I ended up cutting the ends and making a fake bow.  Much better. 

The facts:
Fabric 1.50/yard x 3 yards = 4.50
Interfacing 1 yard = 3.00
Total = $ 7.50

I think I will sew this again with a thicker wool for winter and in a smaller size so I have less ease.  I'll back one notch or two looser than  Joan from Mad Men "I can't sit down" level of tight, but tighter than the "I have to sit in an office chair all day and I want to breathe" level that it is.