Blue velvet in the making

 
A little making of the blue velvet princess coat which we made earlier this month to go to Italy, Most of the lining is hand stitched in place and I love the way it sits over a full skirt. Perfect for the opera in this gorgeous jewely dark blue.

January has well and truly come and nearly gone already in all it's manic, whirlwind of wedding splendour. It was like everyone set their alarm clocks to start plans this month and I have had to force myself to sit down and do a post. The scary thing is the longer I leave it, the more I am struggling to find something interesting to post. I need to start rambling more again.
I also can't share anything like sketches or dresses until the weddings have been so I have lots of secrets sitting in my studio at the moment! 
Time for new collections too ......................................................

Working the prom dress

The last prom dress for now, in it's final stages of being made. This dress was one of my first designs when I was still on a path to study fine art and sculpture. This photo reminded me of the white dress I originally sculpted over chicken wire with pva glue and nylon tissue, on my foundation course. It was in the first week of my degree that I realised I wanted to make the dresses to wear. 

I then bought a lot of three 1950's dresses from America, one of my first eBay purchases back then and arrived, stuffed in a cardboard box was this stunning white tulle and lace debutant dress which still hangs on my wall today. It isn't really anything like this prom dress looking at it now, the American dress has rather a flat skirt compared to this, but it was certainly a big inspiration. 

The design has taken five years to develop to what it is now, I remember the first dresses were a really stiff tulle all over and with nowhere near enough layers. They were built onto bought bodices to begin with but now we make the entire under dress and corset as the base in silk and then the layers of tulle and skirts are hand draped and stitched in place, carefully shaping the waist and hips. 

It will always be one of my favourites,  I just wonder how it will develop further into new designs over the next ten years, maybe it's just right how it is now? 

A Very Late New Year

Giffords circus 2011

 Wow I really am behind already this year, blogging wise that is! We started 2012 with three deadlines in the first week and a crazy amount of emails. To top this my Christmas week off left me feeling so relaxed that getting motivated again was pretty hard. I became too accustomed to eating hourly and watching Mad Men!

So talking of 2012 what do we have planned? January and February is solidly booked with meeting you lovely people for appointments about wedding dresses and bridesmaids attire. I love bridesmaids, each wedding is a new capsule collection.
An old friend is getting wed in feb too for which I am bridesmaid (i may learn some bridesmaiding skills!) and I've been given free reign on the dresses too! My friend has very thoughtfully chosen black which is always a winner with a bridesmaid!

We have our first workshops at Millie Moon in Wells on the 22nd January and the 19th February click here to book you place. By the end of your workshop you will have a rock roll underskirt to make fabulous all of your full skirts and by the end of the second workshop you'll have a gorgeous full summer skirt in your choice of Millie Moon prints!

I'm taking two hours a week to learn the elegant art of burlesque with Pink Kitten. Providing I don't keep wobbling when I should be doing my sultry walks, (or giggling) this will be a long term weekly treat. It's a great excuse to make dresses for myself and wear them too.

A new bridal collection for 2012 is on it's way and we will be at two 'vintage' wedding fairs (this word is becoming more and more dead as i say it) in Bristol on the 26th Feb and the 11th March. It will be great if you can come along and say hello, there should be some gorgeous vintage (used as the genuine term) dresses about to drool over along with our dresses, twinkling accessories and you can book your hair styled by the amazing Fiona from beehive brides, none of which you need to be a bride for!
These will probably be the only wedding fairs we do this year as however much we love meeting all the lovely ladies and businesses we have way too much work to be getting on with here at the studio.

Spring is fast approaching with another collect ready to wear womenswear collection in the sketchbook. Gypsies, circus folk and pop princesses are a little hint of what's to come.

So for now are order books are quickly filling up for the year and we have one very exciting year ahead filled with dresses galore quite literally!

Off to finish a wedding dress now! Don't think I should have time off again, not that I will until November anyhow xxx