The beginnings of a bathing suit

I was still a little frustrated with the lack of contrast in the pink of the candy bustle overbodice today, so I decided to put that off and start on my Edwardian bathing suit. I did a basic tunic shape, with the sleeves cut in one, and had the salmon gingham flannel fabric end just above my fingertips. The body is all put together now (which went together so quickly - it was delightful!) and I've cut out the navy wool pieces for the thick band that will run along the hem, as well as the pieces of wool for the shorts (still pondering if wool shorts are the smartest idea, though...). I do worry that I cut the tunic pieces a little narrowly, but then I keep having to reminding myself that late teens bathing suits were much more form fitting than the ones from even 5-10 yrs prior. However, I did cut the bands for the hem long enough that I could allow myself to put in 4" worth of gussets down the side, if I so choose.

I'm also trying to decide if I should use a bias strip of the wool around the neckline, or just use bias tape. I'm leaning towards the latter because it will be easier, but then the first option will carry the wool from top to bottom. Any opinions?

I also had the idea that I might dye all of the seersucker for the candy bustle to a brighter pink. I think I'm going to test it out tomorrow. Because honestly, for some reason my light pink seersucker is totally reading as lavender!

Opinion Please!

I can't decide whether I made the Edwardian bathing suit fit me too closely or not. For those of you who know more about late teens-era bathing suits (I'm going for app 1916), can you tell me if I should add more fabric in a strip down the side seams? I cut the navy band at the bottom wide enough that I could add up to four inches more width. I'm also trying to decide if the length needs to be shortened by an inch (it's already finished at the bottom). Opinions please!

Here's a pic as it stands now (or almost, since I have tapered the shorts in by 2")



I still have to hem the shorts, hem the sleeves, bind the neckline, and make the sash, but otherwise I'm done.