Dress Developments X: Muslin Tuesday, March 9, 2010

So this evening I had my dress mockup with my wonderful seamstress. She's great and I already love working with her.

For tonight, I brought all my "bridal accoutrèments:" shoes, waist-cincher and bra. I wore my hair down, since that's how I plan to wear it for the wedding.

For the uninitiated, the custom dress process begins with extensive measurements, followed by a mock-up of the dress in a cheap fabric (like muslin). The muslin is fitted & adjusted, and then it's taken apart and used as a pattern for the "real" dress.

So in my previous dress post, I was torn between three sketches. Here's the one we picked:

The A-line/trumpet shaped dress with a wrap-style top, beaded trim at the neckline and in the back, and a beaded train.

Unfortunately, the design will have one major change; instead of cool beading at the bottom of the dress like I'd envisioned, we will have it showcased on the back center panel of the dress. I'm not sure why we made this change. I think it would have been too hard to have the beading on just the bottom, since the lace would have to be taken apart and applied by hand. Too expensive!

Anyway, here's the muslin:

Hmm.

There are a few things that will be different from the dress as shown:
- The bodice will have the wrap-style fabric attached to it. This is like, an "underbodice."
- The straps on top will be thinner more of a "sweetheart shape" in front.
- The V-neck will be an inch lower.
- The waistband will be wider, and beaded.
- The dress is supposed to flare out towards the bottom with the slip and petticoats under it, etc.
- The part of the back that is colored (see picture #3) will be beaded lace. 

Is this really my dress? I am not all that thrilled about it. It just looks like a big sack! A big, exceptionally-fitting-on-top sack! A sack of two colors!

I think it's interesting to see how I look in a long white dress. Also, I have heels on in this picture. I'm short waisted, so when I elongate my legs with heels and wear a natural waist, the dress looks empire-waisted! It just shows you how misleading it is to see these dresses on models and mannequins, when all of us are so different.

I guess it is starting to look like my drawing. However, I really want to change the back. I'm not sure how, but I think I'd like more drama & creativity than a big panel of beaded lace, however easy it might be to make. And I think the rounded train shape looks hopelessly dated. Back to the drawing board, sort of.

Dress Developments IX: Say Yes to the Sketch Thursday, February 11, 2010

So I did it -- I finally started the dress process.

Last weekend, I got measured, and as I write this, the seamstress is working on a muslin. But before I visited with her, I had to have a design, right?

I had been working on these, and with all my previous inspirations taken into account, plus my own body type, and some newer ideas from the likes of Amsale, Ulla-Maija and other modern-classic designers, here are the Final Four.

 

Dress 854 is a plain A-line dress. The back is inspired by this one from Amsale; asymmetrical, drawing attention in the right place. The front is a flat front skirt, although the sketch appears to have princess seams. There is some slight gathering at the waistline.

I'll be honest; I really didn't like this dress. It's a beautiful A-line, classic dress, but I wanted something with more... personality.

Dress 858 is a modified A-line (trumpet) with princess seams. Being short and, for lack of a better word, "curvy," I felt like a plain A-line might be overwhelming, especially in light of the fact that I want to wear a full skirt. The problem is that I don't like princess seams, but they seem necessary to get the full skirt. 

And here are my favorites. Another solution to the full skirt problem is to have a seam below the waistline. After all, that gathered fabric has to come from somewhere! This dress has a seam that curves downward, which I hope would elongate the body. It also just looks more modern.

I love this dress! I think it's modern and interesting, but I'm not sure if I am bold enough to wear it. Plus, the seam really does cut the visual line of the body, which may or may not be a good thing. Here, the same dress without the seam (but the fullness of the skirt would be considerably less):

So which one did I choose? I'll show you in the muslin fitting, next week!

Dress Developments VII: Totally Unexpected Monday, January 11, 2010

I scheduled a meeting with the seamstress this week, but in a moment of bravery I decided that I wanted to try one last time to try on actual wedding dresses.

The last time I went to a bridal salon was in the summer. I admit that I'd been swayed by the horror stories of other plus size brides who were instructed to stand in their underwear and hold a dress up to them (?!), and other atrocities. But I was armed with a new determination and a more fearless attitude. I'd heard good things about Alfred Angelo, and thought I'd give them a try.

As it happens, one of my MsOH lives nearby, and when I called her 30 minutes prior to the appointment (that I'd just made) to tell her I'd be in the area, it turns out she was free for the day and came right down to the salon to help me!

The woman on the phone was extremely helpful and friendly when I spoke to her and asked about sizes, so I was very encouraged. We went in, and the saleslady asked me what styles I wanted to try on. I told her that I'd never been to a salon where I had more than one or two options, so I told her the style I thought would work for me. But I fully intended to take the advice from Weddingbee brides, who always say to try on things you don't think you'll like, so I told her I was open to anything!

And now for the necessary warning:

source

First, I tried on a dress that I thought was a sure thing: Alfred Angelo's 1148. Asymmetrical draping, off-the-shoulder... everything that had been recommended for a bride of my shape. Here it is:

Whoops! Can we say, "too much fabric?" So much for the draped look. And the off-shoulder neckline does frame my face nicely... but it makes my shoulders look even more sloped. The first word that came to mind when I saw this was "sausage." What a nightmare. Moving on.

We tried on a couple more, mostly dresses that I won't picture here or I pulled off as soon as I put them on. I just wasn't sure... until we tried on this one, the 2024. I'm not planning to wear any color with my dress, but the sash can be changed. Here it is:

Here's where it gets interesting: I always said I'd *never* wear strapless. But it's quite the improvement over the 1148. My shoulders get to show whatever shape they have, my upper back isn't nearly as "puffy" as I thought, and I like the clean, plain top. It's a little "princessy," though. Let's try another one!

Here's the 830. Simple and clean, and the fabric is very pretty in person; the satin almost looks like dupioni. I like this one the best. Keep in mind this dress is one or two sizes too small.

Hey, look! I have a shape! Eri took some pictures with my pro camera, and you can see how luminous the fabric is. Clearly above my expectations for Alfred Angelo (sorry to any AA fans out there)!

Cool! I have a profile, even.

So, I came away from the shopping trip and learned a few things.
- I am not worried about strapless. I like my shoulders; it's my arms that I'm self conscious about. But my arms will look the same whether my dress has straps or not. So, who cares?
- NO DRAPING of any kind. Plain & simple!
- A wrap-style top is definitely the way to go to soften up my giant bustline.
- Waist definition is great!
- A plain A-line skirt looks *awesome*.
- I still want to have my dress made. Even if the 830 were ordered in my size, it's not quite perfect for me. 

I'm so glad I made those phone calls, both to the salon and to my MOH. I'd always wanted that bridal dress shopping experience, and I finally got it. I was always sad that I couldn't go dress shopping with my mom and expected to go it alone. But I'm so glad MOH was there to take lots of pictures and be encouraging! What a great friend. Incidentally, MOH understood exactly how I felt. Two years ago, she also shopped for her wedding dress alone. Her mom lives in Japan, much farther away than mine.

Next up? What will I do with all this knowledge? I meet with the seamstress this week...!

Dress Developments VI: Mori-Lee me! Tuesday, January 5, 2010

I was flipping through a random bridal magazine* when I saw yet another spread of "How to cover up your plus-sized figure" (I plan to show mine off, thank you very much) featuring a dress that looked strikingly familiar. Then I remembered where I saw it.

During the summer, I decided I would have my dress custom made and sketched a dress that I thought I could wear. Here is the original post. It was a combination of a few other dresses (including Mori Lee's 3032), plus some personal knowledge about what works with my figure (v-neck, ruching, asymmetrical draping, etc.). In the meantime, I purchased some fabric & beading and have set about finding a seamstress.

Then today, I saw this dress in the latest Bride's magazine, and here it is, on the Mori Lee website! My sketches were made and scanned in August, and the earliest info I found on this dress is from October.

The resemblance is, in my opinion, uncanny... but you be the judge (click to enlarge & see my original notes).





*Yes, I have enough random bridal magazines that they are scattered throughout the house! This particular magazine is the January 2010 issue of Bride's magazine, page 54.

Dress Developments V: My dress! (almost) Saturday, August 22, 2009

Well, I promised you a sketch! If you've been reading my blog (ha!), a while back I posted about my dress inspirations. At the time, I was choosing between an ethereal, organza-y outdoor looking dress, or a classically styled gown.

Since we've gone for the indoor wedding in a chic (to me, at least) downtown club, the classically styled gown seems best! And honestly, I'm excited about it. I'm a classic girl, and the organza thing is great (I don't know if I can let that outdoor wedding dream go), but I have always drooled over beautifully styled ballgowns, so I'm happy with that!

In my last dress post, I mentioned having several inspiration pictures to show the seamstress. I had an idea in my head how these would be combined, but hadn't fleshed it out yet. Stylistically, my favorite designers are Priscilla of Boston/Melissa Sweet, Suzanne Neville, and Lea Ann Belter. No matter what direction my search went, I kept being drawn to their dresses over and over again.

Once I studied dress shapes & took a serious look at my body type, I began to go towards dresses I knew could look good on me.

My favorites included this Priscilla of Boston 4119...


I know that I like to wear wrap-style dresses, and I liked this one by Suzanne Neville... especially the way the fabric looks.



And, two "left field" picks: I love the way this Melissa Sweet dress sparkles (also, this dress cemented for me how I want to wear my veil)... click the video to see the sparkles in action!



And I love the crisp, clean look of Lea-Ann Belter. I especially love her for the way she uses fabric, particularly silk dupioni (I'm going to do a whole separate post on fabric one of these days!).


But none of these would work as-is. I need a modified neckline, and a dropped waist that's a little higher than what's pictured here.

Truthfully, I was hoping a designer/seamstress could look at me, look at my pictures, and put something together. I guess that's a little much to ask. After all, most of us don't look like bridal models and it's the rare seamstress that can visualize things that well!

And I couldn't, either, until this dress came out (from Mori Lee's new plus size line):


Finally, a form-fitting dress on a model that looks... well, she looks beautiful! But she also looks a little like me. My mom pointed out that I have a similar body type to this lady, and I like the overall shape of the dress. That was the push I needed, and I finally created a sketch.

Are you ready for the unveiling? Here it is...



It has the asymmetrical bodice/skirt like the Priscilla of Boston, the wrap-style top of the Suzanne Neville, the neckline of the Mori Lee. For fabric, I was inspired by Lea Ann Belter, so I plan to use silk dupioni, and of course, I plan to add sparkle. I found some beaded lace that is almost identical to that used in the Melissa Sweet dress.

I may end up changing the fabric, but that's a long way off (and with everything I've learned about fabric, it deserves its own separate post).

In the meantime, there it is... I think it's my dress!

*Updated: Originally I forgot to post the back of the dress. It's there now.

Dress Developments IV: The Seamstress & The Sketch Sunday, August 16, 2009

Just before the last disastrous meeting with a seamstress, there was another! That's right, two bad meetings in a week. But something good came of it.

I found this seamstress by looking up a local fabric store that professed to house dressmakers. I called them up and they were nice enough, and gave me the phone numbers of some seamstresses. Two of the three numbers they gave me were no longer in service, so I scheduled a meeting with "Mary."

I brought several pictures to show what I was looking for. As I talked about my dress, she kept trying to steer me away from what I described and toward a dress that would be easier to make. I started to worry that what I had in mind wouldn't actually happen, and that I wasn't describing it clearly enough.

We looked at the fabric store to see what they had. I have a fabric picked out, and the store only had a few versions of it. I also wanted to add some beaded lace, but I would have to buy it elsewhere and smuggle it in, as the store only had a few dated, unattractive examples.

In general, Mary was very sweet and nice, and very interested in me & my dress. She reminded me of the stereotypical grandmother that's been altering wedding dresses for many years. When I mentioned that I could email her some photos later, she told me that she has no email. She also let me know that she is extremely conservative.

She was shocked that I, a plus size, did not plan to cover my arms. She was also surprised that I am not getting married in a church. And you should have seen her face upon learning that I do not plan to wear a veil over my face! Luckily, I didn't let it slip that I plan to walk unescorted down the aisle; she might have popped her top!

And there's another thing. While Mary was taking my measurements, it was obvious she had no idea how to deal with me, at one point exclaiming, "You're such a big girl!"

Right.

So a few days later, I called Mary to let her know I wouldn't be getting the dress made after all, and thanked her for her time (she knew in advance that this was an "interview" of sorts, so there were no surprises there). I'd absolutely recommend her if you only want alterations. As far as creating a pattern from scratch, though, I was a little concerned.

From this meeting, I learned that (a) the dressmaking process is a potentially intimate one, and you should really like your dressmaker. Mary's ultra conservative views and especially her "you're so big!" comment rang in my head for days, and I didn't want to feel like that at every dress fitting; (b) I really needed to be more explicit about what I wanted.

That second one stuck with me, and as soon as I got home I started thinking about my own dress design. That's right! I designed my dress!