Danielle wanted a prom dress which was different from the off-the-peg dresses which her friends were buying. She chose a purple/cerise colour satin for the bodice, which was only softly boned with horsehair braid as this supplied sufficient structure for the design. The whole dress was made in the satin, with an empire line seam under the bust. A lighter colour organza was chosen for the top layer of the dress. Two layers of beaded ribbon were used to separate the bodice from the dress. Danielle designed the pattern for the crystals which were then attached using the heat fusible method. There was a simple lining under the dress and no netting was required. There was a button and loop bustle at the back of the dress which allowed the garment to be hooked up at the back for the dancing at the end of the evening. The overall effect was one of understated simplicity, which was exactly the brief we were working to.
