Over the years, my daughter (C) and I had been collecting vintage patterns that would lend themselves to a lovely dream wedding dress for her.
Then, her boyfriend told the world he was marrying her, but no proposal yet.
Meanwhile we knew the day was coming, so like most gals, we talked about dreamy plans.
One idea was to use Vogue 8874, the long version for her and the shorter version for her bridesmaids.
Then life became incredibly crazy. Crazy. CRAZY.
Through all that the two love birds picked out the ring at the Golden Ball Silversmith Shop at Colonial Williamsburg last May.
The actual proposal was imminent.
And did I mention life was crazy?
LOOKING FOR VINTAGE STYLE ON-LINE
Through all that C decided to order a vintage style wedding dress on-line, knee length.
When she decided on a cute one, I suggested she request fabric samples and color swatches for the dresses she had chosen for her dress and the bridesmaids.
When they arrived, she brought them to me in dismay, since she wasn’t keen on the colors of the bridesmaid dresses, nor did she like any of the fabrics.
She asked what we could do?
SEWING BESPOKE VINTAGE STYLE
I told her I knew of a vintage pattern that might be pleasing to her (having seen her on-line choice of ready-made dress), and that I’d be happy to sew for her.
We could go shopping on her next day off from work to look for fabric and she could basically design her own dress.
She liked that idea, so we visited a few of the Jo Ann Fabric stores in Woodbridge and Fairfax, which sadly had horrible fabric selections.
She was discouraged yet again.
Wondering if getting out of the city would improve our selection, I suggested trying Culpeper.
She liked that idea, so the next week we drove down to Culpeper.
At the Jo Ann Fabrics in Culpeper, C found not one, but two fabrics that she loved: a lovely brocade and a gauzy net with daisy spangles sprinkled throughout the netting!
Which to choose?
I suggested both: the brocade for the bodice and the netting for the skirt.
As she tried to picture that possibility, I dug the vintage pattern I had in mind out of the pattern drawer: Butterick 5748, first introduced in 1960.
When I told her the look reminded me of Audrey Hepburn’s wedding dress in Funny Face, designed by Givenchy, she started to envision the possibility.
Over lunch I showed her pictures from the movie, to remind us of the overall look: Tea-length, full skirt, brocade and gauze, veil, bow.
She liked the overall look!
RECREATING A GIVENCHY BRIDAL GOWN
The most magnificent exit on any catwalk must be the wedding dress, and Funny Face is nothing if not a fashion show. The Givenchy bridal gown in this film is romantic, but also briskly modern: a full ballerina-length skirt of white net, with a slim-fitting drop-waisted bodice, and the high neckline that Hepburn favoured. A two-tier veil, pinned to Hepburn’s scraped-back hair with a tiny bow, echoes the unusual proportions of the gown. –The Guardian website, Funny Face: a film in love with fashion
So, we took the basic elements and made them C’s own.
In effect, she would be designing the dress herself, with the Givenchy version for inspiration. She liked that! The overall look she loved.
She was assured to go tea length instead of knee length (she was mainly concerned about tripping over long skirts). She wanted a subtle petticoat. The veil, maybe.
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
The bodice fabric which she swooned over in the store definitely carries the 18th century Colonial Williamsburg theme of her ring, lanterns, and honeymoon.
The daisy spangled netting totally imbues my daughter!
After the dress was sewn together, I sewed a sample (bodice fabric to skirt fabric) which we took to the store to help us audition various trims.
She chose a trim with pearls interwoven into netting.
I handpicked the side zipper.
FLOUNCY LACED PETTICOAT
After all that was sewn, we shopped for petticoat fabric and trim, of which she found some gorgeous offerings.
I forget how many yards I used.
Although she wanted some poof, she didn’t want too much, so I only made one layer.
After trying that on with the dress, she decided on another layer.
By the time I finished the second layer life became CRAZIER! The house went up for sale!
We had to start packing! And find new homes! She was wedding planning!
Alas, there were no more fittings.
Although the dress length was cut evenly, sewn evenly (I thought) and seemed to hang evenly, it wasn’t even when she wore the dress.
So, I planned to adjust that after she settled on the final petticoat fullness.
However, she just told me not to worry about it.
At her preference, I sewed the petticoat into the inside of her dress and we called that done.
I stored it into a clear garment bag to await the big day.
Many thanks to my son who popped over to my daughter’s apartment after work to take this photo so I could do this blog post, because I forgot to take a photo before the wedding.
Look how even the hemline is while hanging on the door!
Alas, the hem wasn’t even while she wore it.
VEIL
Unsure of whether she wanted a veil or not, I suggested I could make one and she could decide at the last minute whether and how to actually wear it.
Ultimately deciding for the veil, she didn’t like the veil as high on the head as Audrey Hepburn wore, or the bow front and center.
So I set it further back, which she liked a lot.
With that decided, I sewed a bow from her bodice fabric.
SHOE SHOPPING
Refusing heels, she insisted on flats.
However, while shopping, she fell in love with some heels, but seemed uncertain because she’s never worn heels before.
I told her to wear them around the house to get used to them, and that worked like a charm.
GOING TO THE CHAPEL OF LOVE
Then life got CRAZIER!
The first weekend in October the kids and I moved our stuff into each of our own storage units.
Oct 10 we closed on the house and tThat night we stayed in a hotel.
Oct 11 we drove an hour to our church for the wedding.
My daughter gifted me the surprise of a Mom/Daughter night at a historic Bed and Breakfast.
Oct 12 she was married!
A friend of hers did her hair and makeup.
When I slipped the dress over her head and zipped her up, oh my!
She had lost a lot of weight! The poor dear. So much going on.
But she danced at her wedding! Literally!
She didn’t trip down the aisle.
At the reception, she and her brother did a great swing dance, even with her in heels.
It was the best dance of her life!
Still waiting for photos from the official photographer, but thankfully my son took stunning photos that he staged.
Later, one of the bridesmaids agreed that my daughter looked like Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face! Stay tuned for my version of a different version Givenchy Audrey Hepburn dress for the wedding…
EPILOGUE 2024
Alas, no pictures yet from the official photographer… =(
So, thankful my son took photos, and how stunning they are! All the fun poses were his idea!
For more photos, check my Flickr set.
