Designing THE Gown

The production of a wedding gown, or any garment for that matter, is a very involved one. It requires not only skill but dedication and a balance between a firm idea and flexibility to bend where the project wants to go. Sometimes the idea will only work on paper and when you realize this you have to be able to think of a new direction that satisfies the design and designer.

For example, a gown that is still in-process at Vianett has undergone a couple changes from its original sketch. This was mainly because when construction started we discovered we did not have enough fabric to finish the gown the way it was originally designed. Well, that's not true. There was enough fabric but the lace we had chosen for the project did not want to lay out nicely on the gown and we would have been forced to sew smaller pieces together just to make the original idea work. This would have created a NIGHTMARE for anyone who needed to to adjust any seams or make any changes. It just wasn't worth it to try to make the lace do what we wanted it to. When designing you sometimes have to veer away from the design because of unforeseen circumstances. Go with the flow is an adage to always keep in mind. It reduces the stress.

Our thought for this bridal season is soft, wispy, and flowy. We have noticed brides are moving away from the big ball gowns and opting for a more mermaid or trumpet style skirt. The original idea of the gown was for the lace to overlay the entire gown. This gown out of the group was going to be the most complicated (and we have been proven right) so we started on it first.

The first step after creating the pattern is sewing a muslin. For this look our muslin was the structure of the gown. After we fit it to the mannequin, we used it for the application of the boning and bust cups. The lining was then added. The center back panel is still not installed because of a specific design feature of the gown.

Next came the self fabric and the lace. As stated before the lace was giving us trouble so we had to rethink the design. We have decided to have a lace overlay until it starts to flare and then we are going to add a layer of organza with ruffles that spiral around the skirt. Below are the pictures of the process so far.

 

The design process is far from done. We are sure there will be other snags and things to think about and adapt to. The next step will be preparing the pattern for the bottom portion of the skirt and then finally putting in the center back insert. After that it should all be touching up little areas here and there to make it sample worthy. See you next week!