Getting Cinderella to the Ball

The upside to having a backlog of things to write is by the time you get to it, the topic is relevant again.

Starting now and going through Labor Day scores of young people will be returning to school for the new academic year. Many will be seniors in high school, and with senior year comes the pinnacle of the high school experience: graduation. PROM. I was one of those girls who obsessed the entire year over what my dress would look like, mostly because I made it myself. I've probably made 12 or 13 prom dresses in as many years, through school, full time jobs, pregnancy and this year I would have an infant on my hands (I'm a glutton for punishment, what can I say.) I was approached by my husbands aunt to help a friend of hers who wanted a dress made for her daughter. As mom explained it, her daughter was a good girl  and had done everything asked/ expected of her, was graduating on time with no babies so she promised she'd get her baby the dress she wanted. As she put it, "lets get Cinderella to the ball". 

The Dress

Decisions, Decisions

As any design process goes, the final product usually starts with some kind of inspiration. It could be a problem needing a solution, an event, a color, a feeling... this started with a Google image.

The trend in prom right now is really over the top glamour, not really practical, but not my call. Think BET Awards, Oscars- lots of mermaid hems, low necklines, glitter, sequins, velvet, beads, skin, shins, and thighs... (not my call remember, "In my dayyy, we wore polyester charmeuse satin, rhinestones and tiaras, not anymore) This dress had a plunging neckline, with sleeves, high collar, sheer lace on the top, and a super fitted (spandex) skirt with full mermaid train stiffened with horsehair braid. My lovely client was SET. ON. THIS. DRESS. HONEYYY. Mama.... mmm not so much. Too many boobies and the colors aint match. So first thing was getting these two on the same page. I assured mama the boobies would stay covered via pads, mesh and double sided tape, and I would request samples so they could pick the exact colors in person. Dress was a go. Swatches were ordered, and I began patternmaking.

Fit for Muslin

Muslin is a type of cheap cotton that we use alot in the fashion industry. Its a building block to patternmaking via the draping technique, used to make test garments by the same name, and is popular in baby wear for its lightweight easy care properties. In this case her fit muslin wasn't really muslin at all since her dress would be from mesh and spandex. While waiting on the swatches I got her first two fittings done. The challenge in this gown was maintaining integrity of a stable, but extremely lightweight bodice with a stretchy, but heavy skirt. You don't want the seams up top to be stressed, or the bottom pulling at the waist. Luckily, only minor changes were needed, and the pattern was ready to go for final cut and sew. 

Muslin and neckline placement

 

Dress Back

Go Time

Cinderella did end up going with the deeper, hunter green skirt that was the closer match to her lace bodice. For maximum effect, and ease in walking, I sewed over 10 yards of wide horsehair braid into the mermaid hem. (Horsehair is the term for a crinoline type of plastic webbing. Its used to make hems literally "stand up" You know it when you see it.) Her bodice was a hunter and gold embroidered mesh lace (Alencon style), lined in brown powermesh and brown mesh covered bra cups. The neckline was a deep plunging "V" with stand/ choker collar and open back. It was actually a very simple dress to make, I'm sure even a casual sewer could have pulled it off. The key in the look was getting the right fit, and using the proper material. Sewing occurred late in the night, as trying to be a productive seamstress was near impossible with a 6 month old underfoot. Occasionally I would sew while she was awake, but usually she was crying because she either couldn't see me, or come into my sewing space. It took a couple nights over the course of a week. 

Sewing it down

Adding the horsehair

 

French seaming and mesh lining

Plot Twist

So a week and a half before prom, "Cindy's" date hadn't found a dress shirt to wear under his suit. (they wanted a green to match her dress, rather than the vest and tie.) Guess what got added to my plate? I don't really do menswear, so I found a simple men's shirt pattern, lucked up on finding some green cotton broadcloth and finished with flat shanked gold buttons. Final fittings, pressing, and steaming and we were done. 

All in all, I enjoyed being able to help a young lady see her prom wishes come true. 

Pro Tips for Prom-goers and their parents:

1. Agree on a budget early
2. Try to have a clear idea of what you want, and if you're not sure don't be afraid to try things on from off the rack. You never know what will look good (this goes for brides too!)
3. If taking a date, coordinate your colors and styling early! Don't wait till the last minute (Formal shops DO run out of tuxedos to rent, and designers have deadlines and other clients!) 
4. If getting a designer to make your dress, make sure you get your parent to ok the design, especially if you're not paying for it. I have actually had a parent threaten not to pay because she never came to a single meeting with her daughter, and hated the dress whereas her daughter loved it. (live and learn- also, get contracts and deposits). My studio is not the place to hash out your arguments over what body parts you want exposed. Do that at home.
5. Bring whatever you plan to wear UNDER the dress, to all the fittings (this  ALSO goes for brides!)
6. It's high school. Remember to have fun.

Finished product!

Final fitting

Dress back and train

"Cindy" and proud mama