A Labour of Love

There hasn't been a 'dress a day' for a while as beading has taken over...........................

This dress has been what you will call a real labour of love. The lady had a previous dress that I made for an event a couple of years ago and she very kindly came back for her wedding dress.

This has been such a success due to fact that she had wonderful ideas to draw inspiration on and was very clear on what she did and didn't like at all points on the dress. This made the design a real collaboration and a joy to work on.
Inspirations came from Art Deco, Coppelia ballet costumes and Elizabethan royal costumes and a 1950's dress, a designers dream.

The dress involved some tricky pattern cutting including a fully boned and cupped bodice under a smooth un-darted outer bodice all in silk which didn't like any mistakes. I was so pleased with the final silhouette and having the length in the full skirt made a real swish to the movement.

The main labour came in the stars beaded on the cuffs. Stars were a  real favourite of the customers and added a hint of wit to her dress. I personally think all dresses should have an element of fun and intelligence to them, a dress should always be more than just a dress.

Beading is a real luxury, it's time intensive and hard work, this took endless hours and days to complete. There is no machine to bead and the only way to attach a bead and a sequin properly is by hand, one by one. Whether you buy a beaded garment on the high street for £10 or you pay £5000 at the top of the market each of those beads were sewn by a human hand, so please think twice about the person who sewed those beads for you in relation to the price you are paying. 

 

I adore beading, its a valued skill I learned at uni when heavily inspired by 1920's flapper dresses and the 'golden age of couture'. It shows a real labour of love of which this dress is. It has also reminded me that beautiful things take time and are always worth every penny and more!