50s Poodle Diva Costume

Look, we know what you're thinking...what's the big deal with calling it a "Poodle" skirt? The obvious answer is - just in case you didn't notice - that the skirt has a poodle on it. But this particular design became all the rage when a 25 yr old named Juli Charlot needed a cute skirt to wear to a holiday party in 1947. She couldn't sew, and she didn't have a bank full of money, so she bought some inexpensive felt. Felt was the only material available in post-war America that was wide enough to do what she envisioned, which was cut a complete circle out of the fabric, and then make a hole for her waist in the center of that felt circle...thus, no seams, which equals no sewing!And while we would have called that a "donut skirt" (mmm...donuts...), she appliquéd Christmas trees to it, a little design trick that turned out to be a huge hit at the holiday party. Such a huge hit, in fact, that she started making more of these skirts to sell so she could raise money to go to design school (