Creative Garden Shoot with Eliza

So good to see you.... it has been a while. 

We haven't had internet for so very long.  I will try to play catch up and post a few pictures. 

I will start with a colorful garden shoot arranged by Mollie Openshaw and Amanda Schelin.

I am amazed by the colors, oversize flowers, great images, and the hair and makeup that is overly cool.  Thanks, ladies, for letting me in on this shoot.  Thank you, Eliza, for dawning your dress for another day.  You looked great!

Concept by Mollie and Amanda
Photography:  Mikki Platt
Floral and design:  Amanda of Branches Floral Design
Invitations and graphics:  Mollie of Polka Dots ans Daisies
Cake:  Julie from Layers
Flower girl dress:  Persnickety
Hair and makeup:  Flavia from Versa Artistry

 This dress was documented earlier while in the building process.  It is a nod to Christian Dior's New look.  I had a great time using crazy amounts of boning to build the under structure.  It was a challenge and I loved it. 

 Can I say I love this flower necklace.  So bright and beautiful. 

 Such a sweet girl in a sweet dress.  Made by Persnickety.

Can't get enough of the turquoise color!

The Butterflies

I have a sweet story about one of my brides that she is letting me share. 

First off, I just got a kick out of Randi.  She would look at me and just start laughing.  She thought my intense scrutiny of the gown was funny.  I do admit that I get a bit obsessed and don't relax until I know I can "make it work".  I especially do that when it is an out of town bride.  I have to conquer the thing in a very short amount of time.  And these dresses can throw a whole lot at a person. 

Well Randi was great and I am very happy for her and her family.  She gains two very cute and very independent girls with the marriage.  I loved the sharing of ideas from everyone but especially loved that her 13 year old "new" daughter took part in the process whole heartily.  Our world is better off because of young women like these!

Okay, so here is the story I promised.  Randi's mom passed away a while ago.  Randi wanted to include some part of her mom in the whole celebration, so she had the idea to have butterflies on the dress.  Her mom really loved butterflies and that motif fit perfectly.  So we made butterflies, lots and lots of them.  They cover much of the skirt of the dress.  It was a sweet way to honor her mom.  

Randi came out to Utah twice to have the dress made.  During the break, I talked to my sister in law about the sweet token of the butterflies.  My sister in law was taken back by that because she just had an aunt pass away and her uncle has been noticing butterflies around him just when he needed it.  I guess a white one hung out with him for over an hour at his wife's grave site at the very beginning.  He knew this was the way his wife was helping him though the unimaginably tough time. 

When Randi came back for her second visit, I told her about this story.  She also had that type of feeling about butterflies.  They also stood for her mother's presence in her life. 

The day after Randi's wedding, she sent me some photos.  There is one with at least two butterflies on her bouquet.  Of course I teared up a bit and most likely I had goose bumps.  What a great and sweet thing to occur.  It was the indication that Randi's mom was able to be there when her daughter wed.  I am such a believer in the things not seen.  I love that sweet and simple things can happen to people that show love.  Randi deserves the world in my opinion.  She was such a happy and positive person, but positive in the non-sappy way. 

I am wishing the best for her and her new family! 

I do know this blog is most likely un-followable and a bit quirky.  I wish I could express my thoughts more clearly, but it is tough sometimes.  Have a great night, and may we all recognize the butterflies in our lives. 

Audrey, Chiffon, and the sleeves

Isn't this such a simply beautiful image? 

Another great studio shot by Miyo Strong for Busath. 

I don't know how much to say about these brides.  One thing about Audrey, she is just as the image captured her.  Calm, cool, and collected.  A quick example, when she tried the finished dress she repeated, "I am so excited about this,"  in the most dead pan way.  I laughed, because she was so sincere but her tone was so even.  I am lucky she vocalized her feelings, otherwise, I would not have known. 

Audrey spent time in India teaching kids and working in a leprosy colony.  Isn't that just amazing?  I have so much respect for these brides and what they are accomplishing.  I do believe women are doing more than when I was in college.  It is encouraging and empowering. 

Thanks Audrey, Happy Wedding!

Audrey's sneak peak

Today I feel like a real dressmaker.

Scott always asks me how it is going.  I usually can't say. 

I usually don't know how the dress fares.  Today I did. 

What a great moment to look down at it and become so happy. 

I even feel official because I like how the stitching looks on the back of the beaded sleeve.

 I have such a respect for the beautiful beading I see in Burgdorf Goodman or one of the museum exhibits I am lucky enough to see.  After these sleeves, my respect has grown EVER SO MUCH.  How do they do it????  I am determined to find out.... someday. 

Thanks Audrey, wishing you a happy wedding! 

Construction

I always hesitate to write about some of the gowns, because I want to say too much.  This is the case here. 

Eliza and her mom Liz, came to me this winter.  They had a picture of a gown with some history involving one of my idols, Christian Dior.  The picture was of a gown John Galliano designed for Dior using the "The New Look" that so many of us swoon over, as inspiration.  This picture has been all over pintrest and it is so very incredibly beautiful.  Of course I had to tell them all about it.  I grabbed my Christian Dior book off my shelf and was saying, "I want to show you where Galliano received his inspiration for this gown".  I flip open to, not only the style, but the exact dress from the 60's!  Galliano re-invented the gown by bringing in some over the top structure to the skirt and amazing blue embroidery for under the hem.   

Anyway, I was lucky enough to build something like this dress for Eliza.  I viewed this experience as a painter does when they get to go to the Louvre and paint a "copy" of the great masters.  I learned so very much and have more respect for these great designers and the house that brought their gowns to life. 

This shot is the beginning of the under structure of the gown.  I imagine I put three times as much boning into this before I was finished.  The skirt was to go in and out, so just putting a poof skirt under would not have worked. 

This is for those who tell me I should post more about the process.  That is you, Jeanette.  A gown is put together and pulled apart so many times through out the process.  This is when I am checking to see if the texture has potential.  

A snapshot of the process.  I don't think I have ever worked with so much skirt especially so much skirt that needed texture. 

My kids call this the Pack Man dress. 

When you lay it down on the floor, which I had to do often, it looked like pack man.  They know to be respectful of the dresses I work on, knock on wood, but they couldn't resist getting eaten by pack man's mouth.  That is half of the skirt you are seeing.  I think the bodice is tucked under the dress, by Slade's feet. 

I promise to post the finished product worn by cute Eliza as soon as I can.



The Dressmaker

This image has nothing really to do with the post.  I am nothing if not random.

***

My friend told me once that I had to look the part.  You know, dress like I create dresses. 

All I have to say to that is, "Beauty is Pain".  I am not into that type of pain.  I can take a hot iron, countless pins going through unsuspecting fingers, and lots and lots of sleepless night getting a project done.  I can't handle clothing that doesn't let me get down on the floor to conquer a hem. 

This is what happened this weekend.  I had two back to back out of town brides.  They have both been here before.  This was when I would finish the dresses.  The first one was Friday to Sunday.  The second was Monday to early Wednesday morning.  It is intense.  So much so, that I couldn't text one of the brides, I was shaking from working and worry.  The dresses are complete, but I have been walking around in a Haze from the whirlwind of it all.  I just figured out that the last day I worked, I worked for 20 hours straight.  Thankfully I didn't realize it while in that moment.  The ONLY way I made it is having fittings in my Yoga pants.  Yep, that was my strategy for survival, be comfortable.  The crazy thing is, this understanding bride still trusted in our decisions despite the image I was putting out there.  

So I will do my best to figure out how to make a gown better.  I am on a long road that way.  I will over think which thread to use for a trim piece.  I will spend my time in antique stores finding pearls and jewels.  When I am doing these things, I will be covered in white thread.  When I send my kids off to school, I will pick off  white thread from their coats and backpacks.  When I give or get a hug from the husband, I will try to get the threads off him as well.  Maybe that is the sign of a dressmaker. 

Just the thread.