Friday, May 30, 2014

Prom Pretty #2: Coral Chiffon


This dress started out in my student's mind as something totally different, and evolved into a gorgeous gown with beaded accents.
 
Inspiration #1: Zooey Deschanel wearing Tommy Hilfiger at the Met Gala

My student originally wanted a black & white striped version, but when I showed her exactly what "Seersucker" fabric is, we changed direction and went with something more formal. She picked out this beautiful coral chiffon and coordinating satin (3 1/2 yds each) at Haberman Fabrics, so also supplied us with the beautiful gold beaded trim for the waistband and shoulder accent (1 1/2 yd). After our shopping expedition, she sent me this prom dress picture, so I had a clear idea of what she wanted.

Pattern: I used the top of a Burda dress pattern (11/2009 #106) and the bottom of McCalls 6893.
 I eliminated the top band from the Burda bodice, attaching the McCall's skirt at the waistline.

My only hurdle was the ruching of the chiffon over the bodice. No pattern pieces for this job, so I draped the chiffon on the bias and just kept pinning over the satin underbodice. I basted the chiffon in place along the edges, and then hand-stitched the pleats in place.

 
There were actually 2 gold beaded trims purchased, a wide one and a narrow one. The sales associate at Haberman's had a fantastic idea to border the wide trim with the narrow one, making it look more finished as  belt. For the shoulder, I stitched a few rows of the narrow trim together.
 
We were both extremely pleased with the outcome, and she looked gorgeous at Prom!

Another successful Prom season in the books... these two are my 9th and 10th formal dresses since 2008. Nothing makes me smile quite like making pretty formal dresses does!

10 comments:

glorm said...

Ah, another beautiful KB Original gown. These girls look so happy in their one-of-a-kind gowns. Nice job.

Vanessa said...

How pretty! I love the color, the styling, and the pretty draping you did for the bodice.

Gorgeous Things said...

Both gowns are simply stunning! What lucky students you have. :)

luckylibbet said...

WOW.

Kyle said...

Yes, another great gown!! I like their model poses at the end.

Hey, did you get to go to NYC in April after all?

Andrea said...

Both gowns turned out lovely. You did a beautiful job.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful prom dress, my only attempt at an event dress went horribly horribly wrong, I allowed my daughter to pick out a pattern that was not right for her, instead of refusing to work with it. I made it, she looked like a cow, she cried, I cried and we both learned a valuable lesson.

Nana said...

Excellent rouching. Very creative. Beautiful color. Beautiful work.

Dharma said...

The dresses are beautiful!

Judy said...

Beautiful dresses! how refreshing to see these dresses after having seen so many short short revealing dresses earlier this year.The girls are beautiful as well.