Prom [Pin]spiration

There are several next steps on this prom dress endeavor: now that my patterns have arrived, I'm planning to mock-up the bodice (maybe even make a wearable muslin? Idk, it's hard to think of a cute spring dress when it's 30 degrees outside ...). I also need to actually choose and order my silk ... but that's an agonizing decision for another day! For now, it's time to have fun - with Pinterest!

Confession time - I have a slight Pinterest problem. Last time I checked, I'd pinned over 2,000 images ... and about 1,000 of them are on one generic board called "Gorgeousness". Basically, I need a better way of organizing all of the beautiful dresses and old clothing images that I find, because scrolling through 1,000 pins to find that one dress that you saw once and really loved but don't quite remember is a real pain. 

I have, however, been a bit better about organizing pins for specific projects. My board for last year's prom dress was full of pretty blue 50s dresses, but my board for this year has been a little more nebulous because, like I said, I didn't really know what I wanted for a while (and, if we're being totally honest, I'm still not sure even now).

I have, however, been pinning the dresses that caught my eye, so I figured today I'd share a few of my favorites and what I like and dislike about each - because really, what's better than looking at lots of pretty dresses?*

*Nothing. The answer is nothing. Except maybe chocolate.

1.

Okay, first one up is this adorable 1950s dress. Like a lot of great vintage dresses, there isn't anything super eye-catching at first - it's the little details that really make this dress stand out. I just love the ruching and clever seamlines of the bodice - they turn an otherwise simple bodice design into something subtly stunning. Also, love the neckline and sleeves - they kind of remind me of my prom dress last year. Oh, and the color is just gorgeous - like a perfect pink peony!

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Ooh, and can we take a moment to appreciate the floaty overlay on the skirt? I can just imagine this dress twirling and flouncing around at a party or on the dance floor. In fact, now that I think about it, it reminds me of one of my all-time favorite film costumes - this gorgeous number from White Christmas:

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Every time I watch White Christmas I fall in love with this dress, not to mention the dance number. Someone remind me why we don't dance like this anymore ...?

2.

Moving on to another Pinterest find, this one is a bit like the full-length version of the one above. I do think this is a very pretty dress (even though the bodice isn't as charmingly detailed as the above), but for my purposes it's a little more of a what-not-to-do - I'm really not in love with how the sheer overlay works on a long dress, and since length was one of my 4 nonnegotiables, as much as I enjoy the idea of floaty flounciness, I don't think this is the direction to take.

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3.

Okay, so, I'll be the first to admit that this next dress looks a little early 2000s Barbie at the Prom at first - but trust me, it's worth a second glance. Sure, the rhinestones are a bit tacky and the neckline is weird and the skirt needs a good steam, but you must admit that the color is stunning. I don't think I have the guts (or complexion) to go full-on fuschia, but it's pretty to look at all the same.

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The other thing that I just love about this dress is the drape of the skirt - isn't it just so perfect? (Or, at least, it would be sans-wrinkles). Looking closely at the waist seam, it doesn't look like pleats - I may be wrong, but I'm really tempted to say that it's a circle skirt ... here's hoping! 😊

4.

This next one is closer to the first two, with its 50s shape and flouncy skirt and pretty peony color. This is another great example of how subtle details can really make a dress stand out - just look at that lace overlay, with the beautiful center chevron. For a while I toyed with the idea of lace on my dress, but I couldn't figure out a way to do it that wouldn't be either majorly expensive or super tacky ... ah well, that dream will just have to wait!

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5.

Taking a break from our pretty pinks, this classy red number is absolutely stunning. The color is beautiful and bold - it reminds me of garnet, or maybe even blood. I bet it would be just incredible on someone with dark hair and sharp features (Scarlett O'Hara, maybe? 😄), but I think I'd get overshadowed!

I'm also just in love with this dress from a structural standpoint - from the perfect neckline to the elegant bow to the flawless silhouette, this dress is the definition of sharp. I really wish I could find a back view to see what was up with that cool overskirt. Is it a separate piece? I think so - at least, you can see corners along the hem. It's a great cross between the two iconic skirt types of the 50s, pencil and full, while still bringing a glamour distinctly its own. When I was first brainstorming I looked at a few vintage patterns with skirts like this, and briefly considered the idea, but that might be a little bit too out there for QVHS!

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6.

This next-to-last dress made an appearance in my last post, because I'm giving it credit for my chosen color scheme. These two shades aren't my exact favorite, but I love the idea of a blushing pink paired with a deep burgundy or merlot. The pink lightens the burgundy, the burgundy tempers the pink - it's a perfect balance between glowing youth and elegant sophistication. To be honest, the whole idea of shades and color families has always really intrigued me (maybe because my closet is exclusively shades of blue?). Almost like the subtle details I pointed out above, using two close colors provides just enough contrast to be interesting without being obnoxious. It's really very classy. 😊

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(While we're still on this dress, I'd also like to point out the bold pairing of what I think are silk and velvet - I wouldn't have gone for it, but actually seeing it, I think it works surprisingly well!)

7.

Our last dress for today breaks the trend of pink - but it makes the cut because it's one of my all-time favorites, regardless of color. Sure, there's nothing wrong with an elegant champagne, but when it comes to ranking as a favorite, this one's all about the silhouette. From the smooth sweetheart bodice to the gathered straps that somehow magically lie flat, the perfectly draped skirt to the clever sash that gives the illusion of an even thinner waist, this dress is, in my book, structural perfection.

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Sure, it's not exactly what I'm going for with my prom look - I'm not sure if I'm really ready to rock the sash quite yet! - but it's been a major influence on the shape I'm trying to emulate. If my prom dress ends up even half as effortlessly stately and elegant as this gown, I'll be happy!

~ Emma

Prom Musings

It's that time of year again ... PROM! Can't you just smell the hairspray and tears? It seems like suddenly everyone has already bought their prom dresses, so I figured it was time to actually get started on mine - no need for a repeat of last year's frantic, 11pm-on-the-night-before hemming! Last year's prom dress was ... interesting. It was the first time I'd used real silk and it was amazing, I loved the pattern, the crinoline was super fun and I was overall pretty pleased with how it turned out. Still, there were a lot of things for me to nitpick now, and most of them would have been fixed if I hadn't been sewing it the week before the big day.

Ugh look at those wrinkles - definitely
a side effect of my procrastination!

I don't know about other schools, but at mine both juniors and seniors go to Prom, and it's kind of accepted that juniors wear short dresses and seniors wear long dresses. Of course, this isn't strictly followed - I actually had several friends who wore long dresses last year, though I did find it funny that two of my close friends and I independently chose variations on what was essentially the same basic style:

Kaylyn looking classy and elegant, Liz being quirky and bold, and me with a vintage twist - I love how our dresses captured each of our personalities while still having a lot in common - it's easy to see why we're friends!

This year, though, I know I want a full ball gown. It's such a shame that we never get to dress up like that anymore, so I'll be taking any chance I get for full-on old-school glamour. Last year I used a vintage 1950s pattern, which was really fun and actually not as daunting as it first appeared.

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This year, though, I think I'll be taking my design skills a step further and coming up with a plan that's entirely my own ... which is only slightly terrifying. Slightly. I'm not 100% certain on what I want, but here's what I do have figured out:

1) Pink. 

I'm still a little shocked with myself for this decision, but it feels like the right direction. The thing is, blue has always been my color, ever since I was a little girl. The walls of my bedroom are blue, half my wardrobe is blue, last year's prom dress was blue ... It's a color I feel comfortable in - I have blue eyes, after all, and along with my blonde hair I've always assumed that blue was my best color. Now, don't get me wrong. I still love blue, and I don't see it losing its place of honor in my wardrobe any time soon, but for prom I was in the mood for something different.

Scrolling through Pinterest I found myself really attracted to deep burgundies and blushing roses - especially when paired together, like in this dress.

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I'm a little bit nervous - I'm very pale with a tendency towards redness, and certain pinks just look all wrong on me. But I really love this color combination, and even though it isn't as sure a shot as navy blue, I'm sure I can find the right shades to make this really stunning. I don't know if this makes sense at all, but in my mind blue is elegant, sophisticated -- pink glows. I want to glow this year.

2) Silk. 

Confession time - last year's prom dress was my first time ever sewing silk, and it scared me out of my mind. I read half a million articles on every way that it could go wrong and by the time the fabric arrived I had worked myself into a full-on panic. It was so pretty - so expensive! Clearly I wasn't skilled enough to even cut into it, let alone sew it!

Last year's fabric all piled on my bed - cotton for the lining, tulle
for the crinoline, and the beautiful silk dupioni in the middle!

... But then I did, and I was absolutely shocked to find that sewing with silk (or silk dupioni at least) was a dream. It cut nicely, it took a crease better than anything I'd ever seen, and it came together into the prettiest, drapiest, dreamiest dress I'd ever sewn. I was in love.

Of course, I learned a lot about sewing from this experience - you can't half ass silk. It needs to be cut and pinned and pressed and aligned and all done properly, no shortcuts, but I found that when I did things right, everything actually went pretty smoothly. (Knock on wood.) This whole experience really informed my philosophy on sewing:

It's better to invest the time (and money) in real materials and doing things right the first time rather than wasting energy on short-cuts and synthetics.

... Of course, I rarely follow this philosophy - but it's a nice one all the same. 

So, long story short, I ordered 11 swatches of pretty pink silk dupioni that just arrived yesterday! Aren't they just the prettiest? I'm in love!!

(On a side note, I am soooo glad I ordered swatches - many of them look nothing like the images on Etsy!)

3) Long, full-skirted, strapless and twirly.

Okay, so that's actually four things, but it's all under the category of general design. Like I said, I'm not 100% certain yet, but I plan on doing some sort of strapless bodice (probably sweetheart neckline?) paired with a big, full circle-skirt. I don't think I'll wear a crinoline or anything, but I might add some horsehair braid to the hem of the skirt - all I know for sure is that I want it to be drapey and twirly and somewhere in between the long, straight skirts that seem super popular today and the big, puffy princess skirts that scream 1980s.

I ordered a couple of patterns from McCall's to try for the bodice (they were on sale for $2.50 a piece! What a steal! So of course I ended up ordering 8 other random patterns as well ...).

The whole idea of a strapless bodice terrifies me just a little bit, but I've been doing a bit of research and it looks like it all goes back to my new sewing philosophy - do it properly (boning, lining, waist stay etc.) and it should (fingers crossed) work.

That's about all that I have figured out right now - I guess the next step is mocking up the bodice and finally deciding which silk to use ... ugh, too many choices! #SeamstressProblems, right?

~ Emma