My blogging seems to have stalled at the beginning of wedding season and into the fall dance competition season. It’s been a busy six months! Among other things I’ve created a wedding gown from a photo of a 1944 movie star and half a dozen ballroom dance costumes all to the specific requirements of my clients. I thought I’d share the creative process with you in the next few blogs.
The Wedding Dress
The dress was inspired by this photograph of one of the bride’s favourite movie stars. The neckline was raised to suit the bride and the train was eliminated to suit a summer wedding in a small chapel.
The Inspiration Photo
The scallops were sized by measuring the neckline and dividing it by the number of scallops I wanted. Each scallop is approximately 1/3 of a circle. You will notice that the hemline of the peplum has larger scallops than the neckline. In fact there are at least two different sizes on the peplum and the scallops at the sleeve hem are a different size again. In making this gown I realised just how important my math classes turned out to be, especially geometry.
The fashion fabric is Crepe-back Satin with a stretch mesh for the full
Scallops on Bodice and Peplum completed
skirt. We used the crepe side of the fashion fabric to line the skirt. The bodice and both the peplum and its lining were underlined with good quality broadcloth. A layer of tulle was added to the peplum to give it body and was cut to the shape of the scallops giving them a sharp, well defined edge. I used the tulle at the neckline as well. This was a summer wedding so, we used breathable rayon to line the bodice and sleeves. The skirt is gored so that it lays flat at the waist and over the hips, but falls in beautiful folds around the bride’s feet.
This was an interesting project and very rewarding, as the bride was thrilled with the result. She sent me this picture of her big day.
The Wedding
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