Dress Developments pt. II: So Sweet Monday, June 1, 2009

In my last post on the subject, I mentioned being frustrated that getting a dress in my size wouldn't be as simple as I'd originally thought. What illuminated this for me was the cost-benefit ratio; with the extra fees, I'd be paying for something that was *almost* like what I wanted, but not quite. And what's the point of that?

So I finally called this designer shop that makes dresses, one-of-a-kind and designed from scratch. Apparently you meet with the designer, get measured, and she sketches three selections for you. Once you choose one, they make the pattern, you try on a muslin mock-up, then they make the dress! And that's it!

With this particular designer, dresses start at less than $2k, and go up from there depending on what you want. No extra charges for a plus size. And, most important, she sounded incredibly competent and helpful when I spoke with her by phone. A custom dress, reasonably affordable--what a great opportunity!

At this, I went back to the drawing board. No longer was I limited to looking at dresses purely for shape or "ease of use," I could look at anything that inspired me. It only took me about 5 minutes to find my dream dress, as I went back to a designer I'd loved early on but dismissed because I "can't wear" her dresses: Melissa Sweet.

I already love the organza look, and I mostly love the sense of movement the fabric creates. So here is the dress I love (I encourage you to click the link so you can see the movement of the dress):



I love the spirit of this dress. This is the first time I looked at a dress and could actually picture myself getting married in it. I love its sophistication, its subtle sparkle, and of course, the fabric. If this were my "inspiration," I would modify the dress to replace the strapless neckline with a v-neck, and adjust the shape to be a modified A-line instead of a mermaid. It is really the unconventional embroidery & organza that make this dress what it is.

But honestly, I'm open to other ideas. I love ALL the dresses from Melissa Sweet, and if I had the body and the cash, I'd be thrilled to wear any of them. My other favorites:





This next one deviates from my "classic shape" idea, but it's *so* interesting and artistic, I can't resist!


This custom dress thing isn't like those ubiquitous Chinese shops, where you can show them something and say, "Design this!" I think it would be kind of insulting to dictate another designer's vision, but it's nice to know for sure what my inspiration is, so I will have something to show the design lady.

Do you have a designer whose vision inspires you?