I LOVE making clothes for my friends, they are outrageous -- both the clothes and the friends! I have a good understanding of their personal style. Iggy is no different, when she asked me to make her dress I knew it was going to be a work of art. She is always seeking out original and exciting local designers and is not afraid to be the most daring person in the room. She has a confidence that people notice and respect.
In our initial conversation Iggy had a folder of pictures torn from magazines and a record cover with a woman in a peacock feather showgirl train and the specific instructions "Girlfriend, I want a SHELF in back!" I had sent her to the fabric store to get swatches of fabrics she likes and we talked about other ideas that interested her. I then took a trip to the fabric store and looked at what was available, did some drawings and we got back together for another round of design which I detail in the blog
here.
This was a really challenging project and a continuation of "The Most Amazing Things I Have Ever Made". During this project I took
Susan Khaljie's Couture Sewing School and learned fantastic new techniques for corsets in delicate gowns, which allowed me to find great success with this corset, made from silk taffeta, lined with organza and flannel. Also a unique challenge is the way the pants are cut, with a side panel that is on the bias. I chose to cut the side panel on the bias because I thought it would give me the ability to fit the pants with less ease as well as support the pleating at the knee.
The cake walk of the gown was the shrunken jacket, it slid on with perfection at the first fitting. It took two tries to get the sleeves just right, but it really paid off because I think they are fabulous and 'hug friendly'. I really like the choice to line everything with the royal purple china silk and the sleeves are the only place where we can peep it.
Finally, the bustle, in two lengths! Feathers were the design ideal but also a budget constraint. It was important to Iggy that she have a train to walk down the isle as well as a danceable "shelf" train. She had originally requested two trains, but I encouraged her to integrate them to save money on both materials and labor. I chose changeable silk taffeta as the main material because of it's crisp hand and double face. I built up bulk with two colors of netting to create texture without weight and we built the florets from trim and silk flowers. To integrate them I built a short "party bustle" where I focused the embellishments and then build a removable long train extension that fit smoothly under the party bustle, to be taken off for the reception.
Thank you Iggy and Bram -- for falling in love and making this happen.
