From Wedding Dress to Cocktail Dress

With the bottom half of the wedding gown being used to make a Christening one, the top part went through it's own metamorphosis. Each seem was carefully taken in to give a smooth silhouette, the hem line was taken to just above the knee for a flattering finish and some of the ornate embellishments were carefully removed.

This will take about 3 fittings in all. Firstly to loosly pin positions, second to refine the alterations and cut excess fabrics and linings away and the final fitting to ensure the garment is tailor made bespoke to you

Take a wedding dress, some scissors and a needle and thread...

I have just had the honour of taking a lovely ladies treasured wedding dress and literally taking a pair of scissors to it! Nevertheless, do not worry; the means were to justify the ends!

I was to take the train part of the wedding gown and make a Christening gown from it. It was a great opportunity and a test of skills as, not only was it imperative that I design a Christening gown fit for a Princess, I also had to design around pre used fabric. This fabric not only has been pre cut for another purpose, but also takes plenty of prep work by the careful unpicking of seed pearls, diamanté and lace panels before the pattern cutting and construction can even take place.

The beauty of having me make the dress meant that I could incorporate the pleat work of the original wedding dress into the design of the christening gown. The lace panel was hand sewn into place and each crystal bead and seed pearl was hand sewn to match to original Wedding dress applique and sizing was acheived with carefull measuring bespoke to the babied size.

Past Works

Here atThe Vintage Dressmaker, I have been rather busy recently and thought whatbetter time than to re cap and show what is so special about choosing me tomake that special garment and what sets me apart from the others.

Not onlydo i use couture sewing techniques to ensure a quality made garment, Ialso have a wealth of contemporary craft skills too, which enhance and takegarment construction to another level.

Thissmall part of a gown (above) is decorated with hand made Poppy flowers using a variety of techniques. Some are laser cutfrom silk, each are hand embroidered and embellished with beads and crysrals to bring them to life. Some are madefrom felt, where each fiber has been carefully chosen for their tone andtexture whilst others have been built up by sewing layer upon layer with sewing cotton and finally topped off with crystals.

The print panel was designed by myself in memory to all those who fought in Worl War 2. I used an acrylic and quink painting i'd done as a base, then using CAD, I scanned in not only watercolours of Poppies I had painted, but also photographic images of tanks, barbed wire, Robert Capa's D Day landing photographs and hand painted aeroplanes and layed up the images to produce this one design. The final image was then sent away for The Silk Bureau to digitally print onto Habotai Silk.

The red edges of the main gown have been laser cut into a petal shape, reflecting the Poppy image again. The Illustrator programme was written by me for the laser printer to follow.

Bespoke design and making service.

Taking customers dreams and making them a reality,I work personally with each client, listening to what they want from theirdress, reflecting their tastes and making it into a reality.

Each design and make or alteration service meansnumerous fittings where not only will you see your dreams come to life, the dress will also fit like a glove.

Poppy's dream party dress

From Design

To Completion

This dress reflected my love of the 50's, I have even used some vintage buttons and feathers on the embelishments.

Yours and their's but not the same.

Some clients wish a dress to be made for special occasions, and whilst there is a wealth of shops on the high street with fabulous clothes, there is a real concern that you will buy something that some one else is wearing. I have a few unique designs that can be made with most types of fabrics. This means that whilst you do not have to pay for the bespoke design service, you can choose a certain style and then your own colour. It is a more cost effective way to have a style that you know will suit you, still fitted bespoke to you, but in a fabric of your choice.

As you can see the gown below used the same corset style top, however is a long floaty number with embelishment to just the belt.

The great beauty debate

Dissertation What is Beauty - The great beauty debate

This year for my BA Hons I will be writing a dissertation of around 8000 words. Having to write this many, I knew I needed a subject that was meaty and one that I would enjoy research and learning about.

In my first year, I looked to models such as Kate Moss & Naomi Campbell and their roles as models, or the ‘beautiful people who’s ‘perfect figures ‘ sell clothes by the millions’ and how this effects people with body insecurities, especially in todays plastic surgery fuelled existence. I also looked throughout the ages to discover what was endured to make a figure more desirable, whether it was nose jobs being performed in the 1500’s when the noses crumbled due to syphilis, the wearing of a corset in the 19^th Century to gain the most desirable waist line or foot binding in China to have the “Golden Lotus’ status which meant the ideal foot would be 3” long and the cleft of the foot could be used for male masturbation.

The 2^nd year, my essay looked to the golden age of couture and cinema, where Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn not only sparked icon beauty status, but also sold a life style that was so desirable to many women.

For 3^rd year, I aim to combine these and look to what is beauty? Our catwalks are full of androgynous looking models and the likes of Christina Hendricks wont be dressed for Oscars because heaven forbid she has a kick ass curvatious body that puts Marylyn to shame. We are in a time where Americas top model has had a transgender model compete, before surgery.  All these things effect the way women perceive themselves, for my essay I aim to dispel the fact that this is what is desirable, I will look to the past, to great beauties and see whether this is not only a new phenomenon

 Christina Hendricks

 

Isis - Transgender model

 Rubens, where artists use their muse as a model for their work

Visit to The Shell Grotto, Margate

On wednesday, I caught the train to Margate, which is some distance from where I live! I had come across images for the Shell Grotto whilst doing research for my BA Hons design section and whilst I thought that the colours  & shades of the grotto are not within my colour scheme and the theme of shells not relevant to renaissance architecture reflected upon water, the architectural form and the textures the shell designs have made could really benefit the way I look at fabric manipulation, plus I must admit it was one of those..i have to see it in the flesh moments.

and whilst part of me felt like I had travelled an awful long way to see something I could have looked at on an internet, I really dont think that the internet photo's can give you the true textural effect that a visit in the flesh does. Plus you can marvel at just how this was built and loose yourself in the purpose of this exquisite grotto

This could be incorporated into a cut leather design or even simpe free machine emnroidery

Some of the patterns, whilst nothing new where still captivating, you could easily marvel at the time and patience this structure took to build