Opening Night Dress 2013: Let's compare

In costume design the idea of your rendering (or sketch for those who quibble with the definition of "rendering") is to illustrate exactly what you want the finished product to look like. It's the draper's job to create the pattern to do this. Don't draw what you don't want draped is the rule of thumb bc a good draper will give you exactly what you've drawn.

One of my problems as a designer is drawing figures that look like me (long and lean) making it more difficult for the draper to translate the design onto a figure that's not got as much vertical real estate. The great thing about being the designer, draper, and model is that you have complete control beginning to end. The great thing about my Opening Night Dress design was that the product changed very little. And so, once again, I give you my original rendering and the finished product. I'm over the moon at the results. The drape changed bc of the logistics of the weight and material. The sleeves shortened bc that would have been a butt ton more beading and it's a summer party. The belt changed bc of what was available. BUT, I mean, that's pretty dead on. High fives for everyone!

And again, I want to point out that this dress is 100% LDS modest and unique and flattering and all of the things most other modest dresses produced en masse aren't.

Opening Night Dress 2013: The End

I pretty much beaded on my patio every night for the past 2 weeks. I finished the beading at about 4 o'clock day of the party. I then beaded the belt and finished at 8:30, showered, primped and had a wonderful time! I've never felt prettier and had a glorious night of conversation with everyone at USF, and my friend Trent with whom I went. Night to remember for sure! I can't say I've ever been more satisfied with a project. It was admired by all. It's a good thing I thrive on attention!

I think I'll do a daytime photo shoot at some point so you can get a better idea of the train and everything.

Opening Night Dress 2013: Oh, this old thing?

I have been working on it, I promise! I actually just need to hem the sleeves, fill in the beading and figure out the train/belt. Best thing about this dress? No zipper.

We don't yet know when the party's going to be, but we do know I'll be overdressed!

Opening Night Dress 2013: It looks like a dress!

Yay! I took a break while I was at my sister's (good bc I had two barfy kids) and put the dress together last night. Looks pretty good right? Still needs the sleeves, and some parts are basted, but it looks like how it's supposed to! I'm always worried it won't. I'm still worried though...I worry until it's done that somehow during the night something will happen and it'll have a sleeve sewn to the neck or it'll have shrunk or grown 8 inches...

Yes, my face is terrible, and my head looks huge. Sometimes the size of it in relation to my body just makes me feel like Natalie Portman...Alicia reminds me this is not a bad thing. 

The waist does seem a little high, but it'll be worn with a belt so all will be well. I'm worried the weight of the train will be too much for it and I'll end up chopping it off and not having the cowl of the inspiration. Jack and I will have to wait and see! Blur your eyes and the nude material is dead on. I just can't get a tan!

Opening Night Dress 2013: Done with the beading! Need a break...

I'm getting down to the wire. I'll have six weeks in Cedar to finish the dress, but my nights will be filled with having fun with all my friends! I was hoping to have all but the hems and inside done when I left, and that might still be a possibility, but I need a break!

I finished the beading yesterday afternoon after about 4 weeks and 75 hours of work. I figured I could get it cut out last night and I'd take it to my sister's house where I'll be babysitting for the weekend. I got it cut out no problem, but my brain is completely dead. I got the teal and nude pieces sewn to the front and backs, made a few mistakes and just need a break! I'm not taking it to my sister's. I'm also no where near ready to drive back to Utah and since the current plan leaves me with two days to get ready after my sister's I might push back my departure a day.

someday it will look teal in pictures

Opening Night Dress '13: Let the beading begin!

It has begun. Which means I'll be watching a lot of TV and movies for awhile. I watched the last Batman  yesterday (which scared me this summer when I thought of my friends moving to NYC, but now I don't mind...I could hack it) and season one of The Muppet Show with my mom last night (my copy). In all I worked for about 4.5 hours? I should keep track so y'all know how much time dress making really takes so when you ask me for quotes you don't pass out.

piece is basted onto my mom's quilt frame.
The thread tracing pulled when stretched so I clipped it in places.
In future I'd leave more ease. 

pulled tight to simulate how it will be when worn

I'm a little worried about it being see through...
beading may distract, but am considering lining the back
and facing the front. 

This was at about 3.5 hours in. 

About a quarter done?...a scant quarter...let's just say it's a quarter

I'm dying over how beautiful this is going to be

Other notes:
-I'm tying a knot after every 15 beads or so, in case something happens I won't have to redo much,.
-I'm worried about the resiliency of the fabric...meaning I think it's being stretched too much and won't bounce back to its original dimensions. I compare it with the pattern piece and sometimes it looks like I can get it back to where it needs to be, and other times not. Having it strung up isn't the best way to tell, so we'll see when it comes off the frame. Cross that bridge when we get to it.
-I'm feeling good about the amount of beads I have *knock on wood*. I think since I'm using so many different types I'll be ok...I might run out of the pink, but those are from in town. I'm feeling good about my NYC pearls and sequins. *knockonwoodknockonwoodknockonwood/

Opening Night Dress '13: I just want to bead it already!

I had my mom fit me in the mock up a couple of nights ago and I trued up the patterns today. I thread traced the pieces that will be beaded and will bead them before I cut them out. I obviously won't bead into the seam allowance, nor close to it. I'm planning on leaving 1/4"-3/8" clear of the seam so I can keep the foot away from the beads and have room to take it in if I need to. I'm going to set it up on my mom's quilt frame bc the beads won't work with a hoop. 

I just want to bead it! SO excited (for now...)
Since I'm not sure if I'll have enough beads I'll do the back and shoulder pieces first and shorten the sleeves if I need to. I'm not 100% sold on the sleeve length as it is, so this'll give me more time to think/might force me into shortening them.

Opening Night Dress '13: Oh yeah, this

So...I better get back to my Opening Night Dress huh?

Today was my first day for just me in two weeks. I cleaned my room, ran some errands, worked on a painting I need to finish for my sister, and did a sample for the beading on my Opening Night Dress. I'm worried I won't have enough beads and sequins...so I should probably use the most of the beads I can get in town...or get Jackjack to get me more in NYC :)

This 2"x1" section took me about an hour...

NYC: What I Bought

Now THIS is the entry I'm sure you've all been waiting for.

Like I said previously, I spent all of Saturday with Jackjack thrifting. We also hit Anthropologie. On Tuesday I did my notions shopping for my Opening Night Dress 2013. Here's what I got!

Pinafore from a uniform supply company.
I will wear this over things at work to stay clean. 

I tried on lots of vintage dresses.
Jack thought I'd get other things than I did.
I got this because it's super comfy and cute,
believe me.
It also fits me, most of the dresses I tried on
were too short waisted.

Jack to a girl near us "EVERYTHING has ducks on it!...PUT A BIRD ON IT!"
Next thing he touched was this skirt. He's on the fence about it, but I LOVE it!
I just want to wear dresses and skirts all summer, like I do. 

This is an All Saints dress.
Leave it to All Saints to come up with this jankity masterpiece.
Jack convinced me to get it. It's unlike anything I have,
but it's fierce and casual. It needs to be rocked with some insane black heels. 

One of the selling points for me was the defined lower back
 since the waist isn't as trim as I'm used to.
But the small of my back looks phenomenal. 

 Got sequins etc from a trim place in the Fashion District. 

Got double velvet ribbon and good grosgrain from Mood for belts.

flower pot (for flowers!) and a belt from Anthropologie

I talked to girls at church about how having a style/dressing well takes work. It does. It takes a lot of work, esp if you're on a budget. It takes hours, and you have to take time to try things on. Eventually you will hone your shopping skills like Jack and I so you know what you won't like before you try it on, weeding out a majority of the things you won't buy before you try them on. I am a pro shopper, but it still takes time and patience. Somedays it pays off, others it doesn't. 

OND '13: Rendering

Why does it look so blurry? is it my rendering? Probably. It took all I could not to outline everything in black ink bc that's my M.O. (really, look at any of my renderings on my website). The face is weird, I know. And my dad's scanner isn't big enough. There, excuses out of the way.

PS it still looks way too blue. It's TEAL! the paint is TEAL

OND '13: Patterning and Mock up

I got the pattern and mock up for my opening night dress 2013 thrown together this week. I used a pretty basic McCall's pattern as a starting point. I have a sloper for my skirt, but I never took my bodice apart from my patterning class so just decided to start with a commercial pattern. Ideally of course I would drape the pattern because I like to see proportion on a form, but I don't have one. It's good to work on my drafting!

I cut the bodice off the pattern, moved the dart to the neck and made it a pleat, lengthened the torso and did my shoulder and hip alterations. It's a lot of work, but is so tedious I love it!

The skirt was something else. I just kind of took my waist measurement and drew my hip line and blah blah blah flared the back and added a train, then did this other thing that seemed to make sense. At the end of the day it's a little too full. The mock up fabric is much lighter than the medium weight jersey I have. Too bad I had to flip the pattern so one of the patterns is not sparkly, otherwise I'd totally finish and wear this skirt! Heck, there's enough fabric in there I'm sure I could figure it out. 

I married the bodice to the skirt (I always giggle when I hear people say to "marry" pieces together. It makes sense, and it's super professional sounding, it just gets me sometimes) and ta da! I kind of hate the pleats in the neckline. I'm sure I might be able to fix and keep them, but I'm not wild enough about the look so I'll just take them out.

Since this is a knit I can tell from just jimmy rigging myself into it that it's too big. That's usually how it goes. I made the pattern to my measurements so it's typical that I'll have to take it in. I'll do a proper fitting today or soon to figure how much and to work out some other hiccups. I don't put sleeves in until I know my shoulder issues have been worked out, so I'll do that too.

The pictures are pretty dumb, but I'll take better ones with my real camera later, maybe?

Opening Night Dress 2013: Inspiration and Sketch

 Ah! Where to begin? I guess with the fact that I LOVE dressing up. I've been realizing more and more recently that getting all spiffy is a hobby of mine and I YEARN for occasions to do so. I'm really thinking more and more that I need to marry a man with a career that mandates fancy parties, so politician, philanthropist, actor/director/producer.

The fanciest party I get to attend in the near future will be the USF summer opening night party. Last year I made a dress, then found a vintage beaut and wore that instead. This year I have the intense pleasure of having Jack C. Schmitz as my 24/7 style consultant. I decided on full length this year and Jack suggested late 1930s surrealism as a jumping board. I really have a 40s/30s body, so that's why we're sticking around this era. The silhouette is also not SO formal that it'll be inappropriate for said party. These decisions led to many facebook convos exchanging Pinterest links that eventually got me to this beautiful 1931-32 Schiaparelli from the Philadelphia Museum of Art:

I was attracted to the draped skirt and lost my mind when I read that the train IS the drape. This is perfect bc if I ever have a more formal occasion you better believe that train's coming down! And wouldn't you know? I have 12 yds of a beautiful medium weight knit from Michael Levines in a deep and rich teal. Not the most summery of colors, but I love it and it makes my eyes pop.

So, that's the skirt. Obviously with my modesty standards the top needed to be different. Jack Jack and I started discussing color blocking and I eventually settled on nude on top in some way, then found this Jenny Packham dress on my bridal board:

Super simple, neckline pleats and set in sleeves with sheer and beaded shoulders and sleeves. Mine will be in nude with bugle and seed beads. I'll look for a belt and/or trim in NYC when I go, or I can make one. The train can hook under the belt, or if I line the top (as yet undecided) I can hook it under the waist like the original.

color rendering to come

This is going to take a lot of work, but it won't be all that hard necessarily. I've never done an evening gown in knit. I've been researching online and reading my books and picking Jack's brain (who is currently KILLING it at Parsons Meares in NYC). There will be a mock up and the beading will be done on a hoop before the pieces are actually cut. Like I said, it's going to be a lot of work and is going to take awhile. Add the fact that I don't have access to dress forms or drafting tables. This is going to be an adventure!

Below is a quick sample I did with some silver bugle beads I have. The collar I got from Seoul has silver bugle and champagne seed beads, I want to do something along those lines for when/if I decide to wear my collar with the dress. The back is beaded as you might tell from the sketch. I want the nude to look like shimmering skin. Cross your fingers! I'm anticipating at least 3 leisurely weeks of just beading.

And what height of shoe should I wear with it? I have 4" nude pumps, but to be honest heels that tall at a party where everyone stands makes it pretty awkward to talk to anyone but Jack (when he stands up straight). 3" heels only make me 6'2". I wear heels bc they make my legs and butt look fantastic, but the legs are taken out of the equation in a full length skirt. Decisions decisions!

I can't tell you how great it is to have a project to think about. I want to make at least a couple more items for my NYC trip and other USF events, so it's good that I have 6 1/2 months for this. Hoping I can get it all done except for hems by the time I get back to Cedar. Then Jack can help me :).


Also, I got hired by David's Bridal as a part time sales associate! I start training next week, so I better get some work done this week! I'm excited to have something to do and to be making money and to be in the bridal business as I hope one day to have a custom LDS standards boutique. 

Project: Opening Night Dress 2013

This was a sneak peak I put up on Facebook. It's the makings of my opening night dress for the 2013 season at USF (no matter what my contract MUST run through opening). You can also include more champagne beading in the supplies list. The collar will be optional, and there is 12 yds of the teal....(yes, it is teal, not blue). This is all I'm going to show for now, but there it is. I've got seven months and in case you were wondering it's going to be 100% LDS approved bc by then it'll have to be :D. All the modest!!! Excited?! I am!