Getting there

It took about 8 drafts but I think I've come very close to approximating the drape on the top.  Now I need to drop the waist; draft and mock up a corselette; draft and mock up the skirt.

The waist drop and skirt don't worry me as much as the prospect of making up a corselette.

Getting closer to the right drape

This Threads tutorial has been handy:

How to create a draped cowl neckline

It worked great for the front, not so much for the back.  I am very close to getting the back to resemble that of the inspiration dress, thanks to this photo.  Drafting a triangle rather than slashing and spreading (as suggested by the Threads article) wasn't intuitive until I saw this picture.  Thanks, internet.

Someone pinned this image... while I couldn't find it on the website in the watermark, moldesedicasmoda.blogspot.com looks like it is worth a visit.  It shows you how to knock just about anything off through pictures.  If you can read Portuguese, you'll get even more from it.

Pretty/sexy/sweet/edgy/tacky is all in the eye of the beholder

My long time blog friend, Gail, posted an interesting comment on a previous post about wedding dresses.  She commented that one of my dresses looked very sexy, raising the question of whether brides should be sexy.  Good question, Gail!  What is a sexy bridal gown?

Interestingly, when I search Google Images for "sexy bridal gowns," the top hits are a variety.  Withholding judgment (for now), here they are.

Exhibit A.

Exhibit B.

Exhibit C.

Exhibit D.

Exhibit E.

Now, I'm not about to wear a dress like any of these for various reasons, but I imagine that most of you reading all have your opinions about these dresses.  For example, I don't think any of them are sexy.  I think dress C is rather sweet looking and a little bland (this appears to be a very common design for sale in the States right now), B is a yawn as well, E is arguably modes with its sleeves, and A and D are outright tacky.  I don't know why D is bothering with a veil, as her dress is split to her navel, has a front hemline that looks like it's shorter than the length of her arm (if she straightened it) and the bodice is see through.  But you know, there's no accounting for taste, eh?  Maybe she can get a second wear of it if she becomes a can-can dancer? 

All that trash talking aside, this opens questions about what is sexy, what is modest, what is classy, and what is tacky?  I guess part of this is cultural, and part of this is personal preference.  I have friends from Africa and Southeast Asia who are very modest about their upper arms and shoulders but have no issues baring their bellies or lower backs.  On the other hand, although I enjoy wearing sleeveless tops and dresses, you will never see my belly unless I am in athletic wear.  Or maybe it's more contextual than that.  I remember a few years ago I had the awkward conversation of "just because it's nice doesn't mean you can wear it to work," with an intern who showed up every day of her first week in club wear.  But I guess the thing about a wedding dress is it's all individual taste, right?

There are two sides to this argument.  One, if you can't wear what you want on your big day, well, when will you ever get to wear it?  Two, your "big" day is more than "your" day -- it belongs to all the people who helped you get there, whether it's your parents, friends, and your husband, so shouldn't they see you in something respectful?  Frankly I'm somewhere in between these two camps.  While you won't see me in a can-can dress with see-through bodice and navel exposure, that doesn't mean I'll knock you if you decide to wear it yourself.  Hell, props to you for having the nuts to wear that in front of your grandmother!

What are your thoughts?

Draft 0: Testing V1351

I bought Vogue 1351, thanks to Beth at SunnyGal Studio for the recommendation.  I also had a spurt of Crazy and bought Vogue 2880 in hopes that the corselet pattern will be handy.

Vogue 2880 has a corselet pattern that looks like it could stand on its own.

I've just finished a first test of 1351 to get an idea of how it fits right out of the package.  I sewed a size 6 and made a poor choice of fabric for the front drape.  The default design has a side zip, and front drape and skirt pieces cut on the bias.   The front lining and the back bodice/lining are cut on the straight grain.  The front lining is just as promised - keeps the cowl from rolling out and as drafted keeps you modest. 

I think that this dress is a great start to get to the inspiration dress...  I need to redraft the front so that it is lower and has a drape at the waist.  I also need to draft a drape for the back and redraft the back bodice so that it is low cut to match.  But so far, so good - at least I know that this fits out of the envelope!

Front of the 0th draft.  As drafted the bodice is quite fitted except for the cowl.

Side of the zeroth draft.  I think I might have a bit of a swayback, or perhaps excited about taking pictures?