How to design your wedding dress, part 2.

 The second installment of the the wedding pages...

This gown was designed for a friend's sister. She very bravely decided she wanted me to make her a dress for her March 2011 wedding in Newcastle. I say brave, because, at this point I had only made my wedding dress previously, so it was a big leap of faith for her.

We had a few sessions of talking about ideas, and designs, and the overall style of the wedding, once this had materialised a bit. I think one mistake that brides can make is matching their wedding event to the dress they bought two years ago, or whenever they began organising. Whilst it may be fun and tempting to buy your dress straight up, until you have booked in a few essentials (venue, season), you may end up trying to make your wedding work around a dress which is incongruous.

Like I said last week, the three most important defining factors to choosing an appropriate and original wedding dress are:
1. Setting
2. Season
3. Style (theme) of the wedding.


For Kate, these were:
1. Indoors - Victorian- period ballroom
2. Autumn - Newcastle, NSW
3. Evening, indoor formal modern ceremony and reception.

We spent a day looking at fabrics together, and trying to narrow down the fairly broad ideas Kate had. Like many brides, she went through a lot of searching for source inspiration and had many many pictures that she "liked". I think we shared about 60 photos in the first set of emails, so I was working from a huge base of references.

Neckline reference

Overall image reference: this was the picture that
typified what Kate loved about "a wedding dress".
Also the great train.

Back detail.

The good thing about that was I was able to get a great overview of the elements that Kate loved in the gowns; there were many linking elements when the dresses were broken down, like repeated necklines, skirt shapes, and the overall "feel" Kate was drawn to: classical, romantic and very feminine.

We looked at laces initially, but that turned out to be too busy, and was difficult to narrow down the right kind of lace, colour and satin underneath. So, in the end, we decided on a plain, heavy silk satin crepe, in a "natural' colour (just off-white).
Kate's focus for the dress became simplicity and elegance, and something her fiancee would love to see her in. She wanted to accessorise with pearls and so the satin was a natural choice. Her overall theme was very restrained, and so a simple, but glamourous dress would suit her wedding context.

Initial design after fabric shopping; Bias skirt with
train and cowl back. Fitted bodice and slim line overall.

We began draping and playing with silhouette ideas, as Kate was keen to see the ideas on her, not on paper.

Paper toile, for a fitted bodice

Changes; draped and gathered style.

Kate lives in Newcastle, so we had to factor in three fittings in Melbourne over the five months before the wedding, and we were able to make effective and personal changes each time. 

For Kate, who, is a doctor, not a seamstress, I think it was a series of great excitements and major anxieties, as I was putting her in draft dresses, in order to refine the design; I knew how it would turn out, but she really had to trust me, and she did! 

Refined design © E. Christian 2010

Features gathered bodice, cowl back and 

full bias skirt w train.

Final toile, January 2011.

The major design changes that I wrought from Kate's original ideas were mostly about resolving her required "features" like the draped bodice, with the cowl back, and the height of the waistline. I raised this to make the proportions harmonious and added a belt to bring the draping and texture down from the bodice into the body of the dress. It needed a focus point.

From the above toile I also expanded the circle of the skirt and train, to get the drama Kate wanted in the overall drape of the gown. 

Draping the bodice

Cutting out... tricky on a narrow table..

The real thing.. skirt assembled.

Bodice attached to skirt.

So, when we got to the final fitting, everything was resolved and Kate was delighted with the result.

I added a long row of 30 self-covered buttons, instead of a boring zip, 

to finish it with a real hand-made touch. 

I also added adjustable straps inside the back of the bodice to keep the gown in place, and maintain the tension between the front and back draped bodices.

With train tied up, for dancing.

Finished dress with self belt

 

Kate on her wedding day.

In the end I was really happy with the dress; it was an amazing learning experience, and I have been able to really perfect some techniques with silk satin, which is such a tedious fabric to get to perform exactly.  

From all accounts Kate had a great Day, and looked fantastic, and it was a pleasure to be part of her wedding. Hopefully there will be a couple more photos to follow soon.

Next week, a 1970's wedding gown conversion!

How to design your wedding dress.

So begin the wedding dress pages!

Its been a long time coming but I will begin with my wedding dress, just to start at the start. 

Although it is a very personal project, I want to share how I came to decide on the dress that I made for my wedding, as many women seem to be overwhelmed by the sheer scope of "wedding dresses" out there. 

My first Tip is: DON'T LOOK AT WEDDING MAGS. They will clog you mind with white fluffy catastrophes of archaic wedding bad-ness. Look at dresses everywhere. Whatever you think suits you can be made into a "wedding dress". 

I chose to make my dress because I couldn't imagine wearing white, or something off the rack. 

My most significant source of inspiration was Ginger Rogers and the 1930's musicals she starred in, and all the costumes, of course.

The particular scene that I have loved since childhood, is called "Night and Day", a song written by Cole Porter. Check it out; sublime.

Her dress is a goddamn killer; I still don't really understand how it was made; perhaps that can be a life goal. 

So I simplified how I thought it was made, it and chose a colour I loved, that would go with the:

A.setting, 

B. season, and 

C. style of the wedding. 

For me, these were, in order; country/bush, spring and "vintage".

For each of these reasons, I decided that white was inappropriate. And, Boring, with a capital B. 

Consider these major points to make your dress choice appropriate and meaningful; It's great to wear a ball gown in a paddock, but you need to change it somehow to make it fit into your particular wedding setting.  

Design for Wedding Dress  © E.Christian 2009

I came up with a design that felt modern and still classic enough for me (being an old-fashioned kinda gal).

It comprised a dusky pink georgette dress with cream satin under-dress, to lighten the whole look. I wanted it to be luminous, even though it wasn't white.

I chose a t-shirt top because I like  simple lines, and replicated the layered tulle Ginger dress with layered georgette bands around the hem . 

I chose a circular construction to get the fullness, made from super-soft, drape-y fabrics, to achieve the elegant fall of the gown. 

I also factored in that the October evening reception, in the garden, would be cool, and so my mum created a chocolate and pink knitted bolero cardie. It was sublime.

This all became clear over the months of preparation for the wedding, amongst deciding things like menu, venue design, ceremony, drinks, cakes, etc etc. I luckily had the freedom to change my mind because I was making it, and left it until 2 months before the wedding to really get stuck in and make it.

Another learning curve was underwear. My Tip 2, is: Decide on the dress first, then the underwear. Seems obvious, but I had to re-engineer my layers because of the transparency of cream satin against my pink skin. I ended up making a "Franken-bra" which had a soft layer of silk attached to the underside, to act as a primary layer between me and the dress; an unattached lining. Also, if you are wearing white/cream/ivory, you MUST wear flesh-coloured undies; white will show through. Durr.

Franken-bra

The cream satin dress went over the top of Franken-bra and all the hosiery. The fabric was bought from Tessuti, and I chose a classic 1930's bias cut to create an ultra-slinky under-dress to support the georgette.

I

It has a darted "negligee" bodice that cuts right up to under the bust, to take full advantage of the drape of the bias cut skirt.

I cut the sides of the skirt very wide, almost horizontal, so the side seams are almost on the straight grain. It gives amazing fullness to the skirt whilst maintaining the slinkiness.

Dressing with my Mum

 Then we had the pink georgette dress over the top. I bought this fabric from Clegs in Melbourne (a far superior Lincraft, if you're in Victoria).

Silk Faille found in the Tessuit remnant bin.
The colour is called "Chartreuse".
Like the alcohol. 

I found the sash fabric at Tessuti, and thought it was pretty brilliant, and it just went with the dress so well; it gave it the pop it needed to make it modern.

I also added strips of the bias georgette across the shoulders and sleeves to add dimension and interest, as it was actually an incredibly plain dress, all in all. These mirrored the hem strips and pulled it all together.

Pearl reproduction Edwardian buttons, $4 a packet.

Dusky Pink wedding dress with chartreuse silk sash. 

And then we had a really big party.... and afterwards the dress was hand-washed by my mum, and turned out perfectly. 

This is why we use silk, people! 

I hope this has helped somebody out there decide on a bit of a different path to wedding-dress happiness. I had never envisaged my wedding dress before I was engaged, and I am so happy I went for a (slightly) non-traditional dress. 

Tip 3: Choose what you love and what is appropriate to your event context, and you cant go wrong! 

Next week; Summer 2011 Brides, sneak peeks!

All photos by Hanna Hosking of Hang Studio. Thanks Hanna, you were awesome. x

Galaxy of lovely

"Oh, so long ago,
and so far away,
when time, 
was just a line that you fed me when you wanted to stay,"
Soft As Chalk, Joanna Newsom

Well, it has been a while but here are a few beautiful things that are rocking my boat today.

Last week I went to see Joanna Newsom at the Recital Hall in Melbourne, and oh my, did she do an amazing show. 

I lost track of all time, but her dress (above, by Christopher Kane) and her incredible talent held me glued to the chair. 

As always her modern style was abundantly clear, making all of us with (perhaps romantic) notions of her poetry and whimsy remember that she is a truly contemporary artist.

Also, what an awesome dress to wear whilst playing a harp!

Next, Madeleine Vionnet.

I cannot say enough to explain the absolute admiration I have for this woman; Chanel, eat your heart out. Everyone laudes Chanel for being "liberating" and contemporary, but again, I think Vionnet had the edge, in terms of craftswomanship, and absolute style.

Check it out...

Is this not an entirely modern and relevant garment, 70 years on from its creation? I actually thought it was an Akira at first glance, for its simplicity and "Japanese-ness". But its absolute elegance is unmistakeably Vionnet. I am a sucker for bias cuts too. 

This is one of four newly acquired gowns at London's V&A Museum. Sigh.

Next week; Wedding dresses! My (varied), but experiential, summer of bridal creations.

Summer Arrivals

Lissom Yarn now has some new lovely things from designers Electric Sugar and Grazed Youth.


Grazed Youth has sweet and funky "You're nothing but a pack of Cards" Skirts, made form hand-printed fabric, and featuring a waist yoke and tie; loveable!

"You're nothing but a pack of cards!" skirt.

Electric Sugar is sending their second drop for the summer, and it includes another very wearable and stylish tailored tee, and shorts to team it with.

Abby Mill Top and Incantation Shorts, by Electric Sugar

Come in for a look at these lovely summer pieces!

Silk in the Sun

Before Christmas, I had two lovely special projects focused on elegant and simple designs using beautiful fabrics.

The first was a rush job - "Hello, do you make clothes? I need a dress for a wedding next Tuesday..."

My Client had found a Roland Mouret gown she wanted to draw her inspiration from; simple silhouette, with a very classic long skirt and a focus on drape as the design feature.

Roland Mouret - Spring RTW 2011.

She also loved the black binding on the sleeves and soft neckline.

We chose, after much deliberation regarding texture (yes? no?), drape (how much is too much? do we want a bias drape??), colour (what exactly is mushroom anyway?) and fibre content (silk? rayon? wool?)

a most beautiful French Silk Faille, from Rathdown Remnants, the price of which I will not divulge. 

Needless to say, cutting was a tremulous process.

But I got it done in three days and it turned out to be quite engaging; at least my Client thought so. (hoorah!)

The next project was a chocolate silk all-in-one pantsuit, for a Client's 50th Birthday Party; pretty daring, but thats what makes this job great. 

My Client had hoarded the fabric for years in anticipation of this day finally arriving, so again, there was some trepidation when cutting. It is a designer silk satin from the 1980's. There is no more of this fabric to be had if I was a bit shy of anything.

The brief was for a wide-legged all-in-one pantsuit, with perhaps a halterneck and some kind of transformable or interchangeable scarf that could act as an inventive accessory; a wrap or a sash, or "sleeves", to glam it up. My client is a self-confessed "70's tragic", but in the best possible way. 

I (delightedly) searched for "jungle" themed silk prints and found a couple of beauties from the Fabric Store, and Tessuti.

Dusky pink and yellow animal print silk satin, 

from the Fabric Store.

I made two toiles because, well, I've never patterned a pantsuit before, and it was defiantely necessary!

I lined the bodice with silk satin, and made the two chosen silks into long silk scarves that can be threaded into the back loops and draped as desired, around the shoulders or waist.

I hope both these garments bought joy to these Clients, who were both very open and enjoyable to sew for. Thank you!

Summer Lovin'

Tom Palumbo for Junior Bazaar.

Its summer; I'm loving natural fabrics.

It's summer; I made linen wrap skirts.

Just for fun, you know, in my spare time, chained to the sewing machine.

But, martyrdom aside, here they are!

Fabric is, as usual, from my brilliant friends at the Fabric Store in Brunswick St.

They have a great range of summer linen and cottons, printed and pretty, and funky, and classic.

I used a circle skirt for the first two skirts (the apricot and the floral), and a more tailored shape for the striped skirt.

I'm feeling the Fifties vibe (just a teeny tiny bit), so long as its very comfortable and very liberated.

hissandpop.com

Thank you Marilyn.

These are actually Christmas presents for the Fam', because I'm so damn tired of buying useless junk at Christmas. Shame my whole extended family is not female; it would be so easy!

Speaking of... I found this lovely ladee...her green laundry ideas are great, as well as her retro style.

Midnight Maniac

Happy Holidays!

Electric Sugar

Lissom Yarn is now stocking the label Electric Sugar.

Created by designer Eline Martinsen, this label is both ethical and evocative.

She is influenced by her strong traditional corsetry skills and a penchant for moody literature, though not of Twilight type!

Eline describes the label thus:

"Electric Sugar design moody, provocative collections, incorporating traditional corsetry techniques and evoking the spirit of a circus sideshow: magical and dreamlike, yet sleazy and sinister."

The current collection is called Pendle Hill and is inspired by the English witch trials. Lissom Yarn has the beautiful Alice Nutter Skirt (pictured below), in a very excellent brown and aquamarine floral print; and the simply wearable One O'clock! singlet top, in grey.

These are strictly limited edition items.

All Eline's designs are realised in wonderful sustainable fabrics including soybean, hemp, bamboo, recycled PET and organic cotton. I'm in love.

I will be getting another delightful drop in early 2011, featuring tailored shorts and another elegant blouse style.

Drop by for a dress up!