Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Hollywood Glamour

This week, I'm delighted to share Cath's wedding dress with you.

Cath was married in the spring, in Melbourne to her partner Andy. 
Now, Cath is a self-confessed 1970's glam-tragic, and I had made a fabulous satin catsuit for her the spring before, which was pretty fun. Cath mentioned she was getting married in 2011, and that we should "talk". 
Flash forward six months and we were back at the drawing board, Cath sharing her ideals and wedding dress anxieties, me being pretty excited about the potential design awesome-ness to come. Because Cath wanted Culottes for her wedding. Thats right, amazing-pants, high-waisted, Katherine-Hepburn-eat-you-heart-out, pleated voluminous culottes. And a blouse.
I was, needless to say, breathless, at such a prospect. 

Unfortunately, this did not transpire. For a few reasons related to "bridal ideals" and the reality of wearing hugely floaty pants, Cath decided on a more simple dress idea. 

Her aesthetic was based in an old-school Hollywood glamour,  draped Grecian elegance. With feathers.

Marion Davies, via J!-ent Online

Rita Hayworth, via Helloooooo

Judy Garland in Ziegfeld Follies (1946)




Cath wanted a simple long sheath, with a split up the side and a draped shawl/collar to give it some pizzazz and glam.

She bought me a very long length of bamboo fabric from which to make her dress. It was a beautiful sateen weave, that shimmered and had a wonderful drape.

I made her dress with a simple darted construction, with set in sleeves and a boatneck. Lined, with a split up one side for fun.
The tricky part was draping the collar. I tried several (hideous) tailored methods, until I finally understood what Cath wanted. I then just went a bit crazy with the fabric, tossing toiles and caution aside. I draped and knotted until the result was this:




Cath was delighted in the end, and added two diamante brooches at the top of the spilt and on her shoulder, to set off the whole look.
The success in this dress, for Cath, lay in her association with all the inspiration she had from those glamourous times, and her dress, albeit in a more modern style, transported her for her big day.








Thanks Cath for sharing your photos, and for being a wonderful and patient client too!