THE ONE! From the many images that we shared with each other on Pinterest, down to the two preliminary sketches, we finally ended up with ^this^ revised sketch as THE design for Loula’s custom wedding dress. Basically this new design is a bit of a simplified version of the best of both of the preliminary sketches.
In this redesign, I took parts of both of the originals to create something that solved all the little problems in each. I thought this new sketch was even more flattering than the previous two and made the most sense to me construction-wise. It still has an Architectural Deco feel, but a Romantic one! Along with keeping the New Orleans inspiration, this new design still encompassed all of Loula’s inspiration words: Glamorous, Unusual, Deco, Dramatic, Edgy, Sexy, Fun, and Elegant.
We were both leaning toward the Architectural design so I started with it, keeping its sweetheart neckline, two layered skirt with soft centerfront and back draped features, and the fun ball chain metal fringe. I still used the great pleats, but less of them. I kept the corset back, but elongated it. By eliminating the upper pleats at the waistline, and turning the lower pleats into gracefully draped scallops rather than hard pointed lines, it elongated Loula’s waist in the way the Romantic sketch did. In fact, I eliminated all of the “triangles” and turned them into “scallops” keeping with the soft Romantic feel of the second sketch. The Romantic swaggy soft sleeves over a shoulder strap also made it onto the final sketch.
The new design also left a lot of versatility for hairstyle and jewelry options.
Loula loved it! And for those of you who actually know Loula, you can believe that her actual response was “Tada! I knew you could smoosh these two designs together! Yay, um excited. Thank you. It’s wonderful.”
I love her.
3 Responses
it always feels like gift when I get to read a blog post. I LOVE following each one and hearing about your process!
Not only is that gorgeous, but I can see her in it, and more importantly, I can see her having a wonderful time in it. Its classic and timeless and at the same time original and a little sassy–just like Lou!
Brooks Ann,
After watching “Say yes to the dress” choosing a wedding dress looks like a nightmare. You have taken what is often a very stressful part of a wedding and given Loula the opportunity to make visible in a very tangible and detailed way what she uniquely brings to this union. This is not only a gift to Loula but to the rest of us who have been delighted in witnessing your creative and good work.