- Share This Post
- submit
- 7
-
Sparkle (0)
Many of you, I'm sure, have seen or at least heard of the movie 27 Dresses, about a perennial bridesmaid, right? Well, to an extent, I have lived it. I have been in the wedding parties of...oh my GOD, over ten weddings. Most of these weddings have been Orthodox Jewish weddings, which require modest dress (i.e., possessing sleeves, and generally not showing too much skin...for more information about the hows and whys of Jewish weddings, I've written all about it here).
Since cute, stylish bridesmaid dresses that fall in the "modest" category are few and far between, most of the brides in whose weddings I participated took a novel approach: They provided us with fabric, and we designed and made our own dresses. Here are a few that I had designed in years past for various weddings (and then handed off to my dressmaker for execution).
(Bear in mind--if you hate my designs--that they are over five years old. And also, that I'm patting myself on the back for still fitting into them after two kids.)
While designing and commissioning the making of a dress seems like
something that would involve a lot of work (and money), I have to say
that it's truly not the case. Making a dress requires about three or four meetings with a dressmaker; your first meeting, you bring your sketches/cut out pictures from magazines/complete lack of ideas (and fabric, if you have it), and work with the dressmaker to craft the whole look of your dress, taking into account the style you want, and your body. It definitely helps if you have an idea of what you want up front. He/she will take your measurements, and give you an estimate for the price (I've never paid more than $250). You'll then have one or two subsequent fittings as the dress comes together, and then a final fitting to make sure the dress is perfect. In my experience, it takes about two months (depending on how busy the dressmaker is) from start to finish. I love that you end up with EXACTLY what you want, completely tailored to you.
After making, like, eight dresses in rapid succession, I decided that I needed to design a perfect Little Black Dress for formal occasions, so I did that, too. It was one of the best fashion-related investments I've made, as I don't think I'll ever tire of it.
I haven't had a dress made in years, but my younger brother is getting married in late August, and so I'm once again dusting off the old sketchpad (by which I mean "Post-It cube") to figure out the look for my gown. Since I am not a bridesmaid, I don't need to match their dresses exactly, but I do need to wear something in the champagne family. I'm lucky enough to be in NYC every day, and thus have access to some amazing fabric stores (and I'm sorry, Project Runway, but MOOD IS WAY OVERPRICED). I found two champagne fabrics that I loved (a silk charmeuse, and a super sheer fabric with a swiss dot effect), and began sifting through some magazines (and my own closet) for inspiration.
. 
Where I am now is that I adore the sheer gathered overlay on the top of the Anne Hathaway dress, and I'm debating which of the two bottoms to incorporate into my dress. I have an appointment with my dressmaker soon, a few sketches (that look like a 2-year-old drew them, but whatever), and a vague idea of how I want it to look. I'll follow up and show you guys the finished product once it's done.
(By all means, though, PLEASE feel free to weigh in on which look you think would look better for the bottom of the dress. I can't decide!)
Still wondering what to wear to that upcoming wedding? Kristen has more suggestions!
Metalia also blogs at metalia.blogspot.com.
