Inspiration: I was inspired by an evening gown I found at TheFROCK.com where it is called "svelte tulle gown" and has the id FW-0076. I chose to not make the bolero.
What mainly inspired me was the sheerness, the color and the ruffle at the lower perimeter of the overlay skirt. I had an old pleated embroidered trim in my stash that I wanted to use. To make the gown for this competition was an opportunity to make reality of my ideas. The color makes the gown so special, opposing the often seen black and bold colors in evening gowns. I think this gown has a dressed up boudoir style which I like a lot.
Pattern Description:
The pattern is self-made and customized for my daughter. The bodice was constructed from a basic shirt pattern with darts. The I extended pattern from the waist and down simply using body measurements. The dress is close-fitting, underlined, lined and has boning in the top part, princess seams, side zipper and wide shoulder straps.
Fabric Used:
Silk dupion, silk chiffon. Organza was used as underlining and the lining is made of rayon. The pleated trim is a vintage bargain from a thrift shop.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I made my dress in dupion and chiffon while the original dress is made of charmeuse and tulle. I wanted a dress without waist seam and chose princess seams. The skirt is slightly tapered from the hip and down. The hem allowance is wide so there's enough to let out if the dress is going to be used with high heels. Instead of the three very narrow straps used in the model I chose to make wide chiffon straps gathered at the attach point. I also decided to skip the ruffle on the neckline and the beaded trim. A fancy trim can easily be added later if desired. I think a vintage looking silver colored trim would be a good choice. The overlay skirt in chiffon is made of one front and back panel to avoid a lot of seams which might distort the drape. It is slightly flared and has french seams. (If there were a wider chiffon to be found I'd have made a circle skirt.) I made a wider belt than the original.
Conclusion:
I've learned a lot by making this gown especially by working with chiffon which I've done only once before, many years ago. I'll use chiffon a lot more in future projects, it's hard to master but oh so lovely. I mostly work with dark colors and it was refreshing to make a garment in this peach/coral pink. It's a pity the vibrant color cannot be seen in the photo.
This is stunning.
2/28/13 7:00 PM
Completely elegant!
2/28/13 9:54 PM
Congratulations on this review. Stunningly elegant, love the colou,r fabric and style.
3/1/13 0:57 AM
Your daughter will be so elegant......
3/1/13 9:45 AM
It is stunning, and if that is your DD wearing it, so is she! Great job.
3/1/13 10:26 AM
Wow! That is beautiful.
3/5/13 10:57 AM