This dress is for a ‘Mother of the Bride’. The client had a clear idea of what she wanted, having chosen the purple silk and tried on a similar dress already. The off-the-peg dress was in a stretch fabric, and designed for a much taller person, so the challenge was to create a similar effect with a fabric which has very different characteristics.
The design of the neckline was very important, so we selected a Vogue pattern which had the correct neckline. The deep scooped neckline enhances the client’s face and shoulders.
I then drafted a pattern to the client’s measurements which was then made up in plain purple cotton. This was the foundation of the dress. The purple silk was cut on the bias and loosely ruched on both sides to create the effect the client wanted. The dress was also lined in bremsilk
