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Following an enquiry at the end of July 2014 to make a Halloween wedding dress, designs were soon begun for an intended completion by October. My customer K (under 5’/1.5m tall) said she had lost considerable weight over the past year & was remaining on a diet until the wedding. At our first meeting, she provided me with an outline sketch-shape & the brief description of:
- a black sleeveless full-length dress (neckline shape undefined)
- fitted & with an asymmetrical hemline (appx. between upper thigh & hem)
- a visible black net underskirt layer with glimpses of cream net (also uneven)
I agreed to make the dress & returned a few days later with the a series of sketches (left) & some initial fabric swatches. Bearing in mind K’s measurements would possibly alter more during the next 2 months, I wanted to discuss the intended schedule & how the dress would be made especially as some design elements were as yet, undefined.
General advice was that preparation should begin as soon as possible with more precise fittings left until no further major weight-loss was evident. Additionally, for transportation, fitting & making-up purposes, it would be better to leave final shaping & volume of net layers until the upper dress was nearing completion with any decorative finishes also being left until the same time. The first sketch drawn (left) was K's preference.
But, without knowing K’s fabric preferences, I was undecided as to exactly how the dress would be shaped but suggested having several vertical seams. This would offer K optimum dress shape flattery (to optically add height) as well as provide me with a maximum number of seams to take in (or let out) as time progressed.
Discussions included the importance of underwear but for this particular dress, suggested a separate readymade corset-type item as it could also be used underneath other garments. However, with limitations of local availability & possible further weight-loss, I suggested this could be made too & would have the same bodice shaping as the dress. A ‘basic body toile’ would initially be made, used as a guide for developing into parts of the dress & then possibly retained as a 'corset section' later. This way, it would save considerable making & fitting times as measurement changes could easily be transferred across all parts.
During these early discussions, it was also apparent that there were other design elements:
- only man-made fabrics could be used
- no main visible fabric was to have a shine or obvious pattern
- bodice support &/or stiffening may be an integral part of the dress & not separate
- K had already purchased her shoes: they were heelless & provided her with considerable extra height
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