Katie and her Forties Hollywood Dress - Part 3 The Dress

The dress awaiting its debut.

The back trimmed with a concealed zip and 36 matching covered buttons.

The bodice, the neckline is cut around the lace pattern and to make sure the bodice was symmetrical, one shoulder has an appliqued motif cut so that it matches. The lace at the waist and hips has also been cut and hand appliqued in place. The puff shoulders are structured with tulle ruffles inside.

The back of the skirt. The top layer was to sit separately from the under dress so that it moved freely, little tacks kept it from going adrift.

The lace applique over the back of the skirt to make the pattern.

A close up of the lace applique. Each motif had to be carefully hand cut from the border of the lace and hand stitched into the pattern.

Using the lace we made a cord and then looped this into the button loops to fasten the back.

The sleeves, French seamed and trimmed with matching covered buttons. Edged in lace appliqued to the cuff.

The soft tulle underskirts edged in satin

 The final dress, the mannequin and my photo taking skills really don't really do it justice.

I know you may be thinking the bodice is a little reminiscent of another bridal gown this year? There was quite a bit of debate about this neckline, I was dreading it and my initial thoughts were NO NO NO, NOOOOOOO! As you can see the initial design had a high neckline, no V but we hadn't set anything in stone and we wanted to see how the dress developed.
I really didn't want to do anything that even vaguely looked like the KM dress. Not that I don't like it, it's the most stunning example of couture and craftsmanship that anyone will see but knowing this, my feelings were that anything that looks like it will be a cheap copy. Plus it's someone else's dress!

So, could I really say to Katie 'no you can't have your wedding dress how you want it' and cause stress over the shape of a V? Well no, the Royal family can't have the monopoly on V necklines. Katie's was inspired by the 1940s which the whole wedding revolved around, a wonderful Wartime theme and whatdaya know, they had V necklines in the 1940s too!

The cut of the dress with the hourglass fit, soft tea colour and Katie's incredible look with Forties red hair and lipstick, there was no way this was going to look anything cheap or copy like. Sometimes you have to trust a bride too, they are ones who are going to make the dress come to life. And she looked stunning, and by far the best Katie to me!

Here it comes to life, more photos from the incredible wedding tomorrow ........................................

A sneek peek at Katie in her dress - photograph by Matthew Wiseman

A little note on wedding dress buying ......

For me, it's a really great way of working when you have lots of interaction from a bride, I know some people may think it's annoying but really it's like you have an extra helping hand, and being involved in the design of your dress makes sure you get it how YOU want it. I generally will only say no to something if I think it will look bad or won't work, or obviously if it's copying.  Having a good relationship with the person supplying your dress is quite important and you can trust them to be honest with you too. 


So when getting a dress made or even buying a dress from a boutique it's important that you think about it, ask millions of questions if you really need to and speak out if you are not completely happy about something. If you are getting overwhelmed (I sure did) just walk away and take a break from wedding dresses until you clear your head a little. I know some of us know exactly what we want and others haven't the foggiest, and that's ok.
A good supplier or designer will be wanting you to be reassured, for you to trust them and for you have the most amazing day in your perfect dress. Don't ever feel like you're being a pain.  ( please don't ever be rude though, you may have your dress sliced in half! :) )

The dress I've been wanting to show you....

So here it is, the dress I've been wanting to show you for such a long time. Emma and Arans wedding was last Saturday and I can now show you her dress, the making and fitting photos and some preview photos from her big day which from the sounds of it, was just fabulous! 

My initial sketches

Emma's mood board of all the dresses and details she likes

more initial sketches

Emma asked for a 1950s inspired dress that had lace, a huge Audrey style skirt and clean lines with bold detailing. And most of all a big bow at the back! She (like all of our wonderful customers) had the perfect ideas to suit our style and everything I wanted to do with the design of the dress Emma asked for like magic. 

Having a mood board of all the details and styles you like gives a really clear idea of your personal style and helps a huge amount when it comes to designing your dress. After a good chat it becomes apparant the tiny details that are important and being able to refer easily to pictures makes this process to whole lot more successful.

Anna and I worked on Emma's dress together over a few weeks and with Anna's perfect sewing skills and my direction for the design, it was a great success. It was great being able to discuss the details as we went. 

I like to build dresses from the inside out sometimes as the foundations are important to get right before the outer is completed and this way we can also judge the fullness and smoothness of the line. 

Each detail works so well on this dress, the grosgrain ribbon highlights the waist, the buttons add texture and the sculpted bow shape enhances the silhouette and the curve of the back. And the tea length means you can show off your shoes!

Emma's custom made lace shoes with matching grosgrain ribbon bows, tried in the fitting.

Dice checking that Emma could sit down in her dress with the bow, all these things are very important.

As you can tell, I am so pleased as super awesome punch with this dress and knowing that Emma had such an amazing day wearing it makes it all so much more fantastic. Congratulations to Em and Aran!!!!!

Captured by Anna on the morning of the wedding day.

The Making of the Prom Dress

I thought I'd share a few pictures taken whilst working on the blue hemmed prom dress, I always find it really exciting to see how dresses develop during the making process. This is even more interesting as it's made mainly by hand stitching all of the pleats into place and draping the skirts. Enjoy x

Start to Finish - creating the Dove Grey Silk Wiggle Dress

 This dress was a commission I designed and created specifically for a customer, a real couture garment in all manner of speaking and the way of working I like best, focusing on one dress for one woman. 

The occasion for the dress is a day at the races and the inspiration, elegant 1950s wiggle dresses to match a fantastically designed hat in grey and black lace. 

The fabric was a heavyweight pure silk satin, very drapey and very very difficult to control when it comes to hand pleating. Many a time I had to walk out of the studio as the silk kept slipping through my hands and refused to be pinned. It makes up for it in it's beauty. 

I have photographed the dress from start to finish as I always find it amazing how a dress evolves from a flat piece of silk into a structured dress.

The muslin base of the dress is where we start and make sure the fit of this is perfect before anything else continues. The light boning is then added to give structure and form.

The outer silk bodice is cut, sewn and added to the muslin base..........

 The chiffon lining is cut (from the same pattern as the bodice) and is pinned in place to the muslin base bodice. The outer silk is quite heavy in this dress and due to the muslin base there is no need to add another heavy lining which would add unneccessary bulk. The dress is for the summer so it is also important to keep the wearer cool.

The skirt and facings are cut and sewn and added to the bodice.

The facings are hand stitched in place to the chiffon lining and a lining for the skirt is cut and added.

The main section of the dress is nearly complete. It needs hemming and a very good steam to remove the creases created from working with the silk. 

The sash is added and pinned in place ready to be hand stitched for the finished dress. The chairs are for me to sit on whilst hand stitching the waist so I'm at the correct eye level (and I don't hurt my back too much).