A Beautiful Spring Fragrance

Purpose: The incorporation of the design elements of the Hawaiian Holoku with a modern twist and the print fabric’s tropical island imagery creates an elegant formal gown that exudes the romantic scent of spring. The design elements of the Holoku including Edwardian flair, yoke and train with a one-shoulder style was integrated into this gown. The Edwardian style was captured with the cowl sleeve, ruching details, detachable train and an overall image of the romantic elegance.

Process: The unbalanced neckline and the armhole princess styleline that controls the fit of the bodice with the front, side and back panels were first draped. Then the three-quarter cowl sleeve was draped with four pleats at the armhole line and tapered gradually to fit closely at the arm, creating the elegant drapes. The top portion of the cowl sleeve was left hollow to expose the bare shoulder. Ruched detail was applied to the side back panels with the print fabric. Finally, the pleated A-line skirt was draped to match the bustle train of the gown. A slit on the one side seam of the skirt hem was made for walking ease. Then the detachable bustle train was draped at the back of the empire waist. The gown was fully lined.

Techniques: Draping techniques were used to achieve the desired fit and look of the gown. To create ruching for the side back panels, the patterns were copied onto the paper. Then, the slash lines were drawn and cut and spread using a ratio of 2 1/2: 1 to add a proper fullness to the panels. The rectangle piece of the size 6 1/2” x 2” with the ruching detail on the outer layer was attached to the back of the empire waist to hide the hook and eye closure for the train. This dress was showcased in the Live Gallery at the ITAA annual conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, 2012.