Retrospective: The making of a dress, a blog & a business
Leah’s wedding dress was the first real wedding dress that I created for someone I did not already know. It’s funny to think of it that way, because since working with her on her dress, Leah has become one of my most treasured friends and someone I hope to always have as a part […]
Retrospective: Melissa’s Silk Chiffon Maternity Wedding Dress
As you may remember from my first “retrospective blog post” last week, the first real wedding dress that I ever made was for my (now) husband Charles’s sister Katie. Well, Charles has more than one sister! Not long after Katie’s wedding, his sister Melissa announced her engagement. I had such a great experience working with […]
Retrospective: Katie’s bias cut silk charmeuse wedding dress
This is my gorgeous sister-in-law Katie. She got married in 2006 and wore the very first Brooks Ann Camper Bridal Couture dress ever made. Before the blog, before the website, before the logo, and almost before the studio, Katie accepted a wedding gift of a custom wedding dress, a feat I had never attempted […]
The Construction of Lila Rose’s “Space Bustle” pt.1 (Prep)
After the collar was constructed, I was able to add the invisible zipper, begin to close up the dress, and start on the unique bustle for Lila Rose’s unusual eighties neon wedding dress. The side seams, sleeves and hems are simply hand basted, so that they are adjustable during our next fitting. We were so […]
Fit Week pt. 1 – First Mockup Fitting
As you may remember, Lila Rose is from Boston and I am located in North Carolina. When I have an out-of-town bride, I do my best to work around her schedule and to make the most of visits in order to keep them to a minimum. My dresses ain’t cheap and when you add the […]
Lila Rose’s Custom Wedding Dress Mockup Preview!
Lila Rose’s mockup was finally ready for our fitting! This is the test version of her custom wedding dress that I made out of muslin. We try on a test dress to make corrections for the perfect fit and to refine the style on the body before cutting the real fabric. Everything on the mockup […]
The Lila Rose “Bustle” Challenge
Lila Rose’s mockup was almost ready, with the main exception being the “bustle”. As you may remember, we changed the sketch several times before deciding on the design above. Lila Rose definitely wanted a bustle type structure on the back of her skirt. It would be hidden under a removable train for the ceremony, and […]
Pattern drafting for Lila Rose’s mockup dress
Now that I have my moulage and my custom dressform created using Lila Rose’s unique set of over 30 measurements, it is now time to start drafting her pattern. Pattern drafting is one of my very favorite parts of the bespoke process! Since this dress is a sleek design, my first draft was to create […]
