So, to kick start the new year, I have decided to close my Audrey Hepburn chapter once and for all.
The piece I have chosen for this fashion reconstruction project is probably the prettiest black dress I owned, the last of 3 cocktail dresses I bought from a store in Sydney while on a business trip in 2012.
Initially, I intended to replace the bottom of the dress with a new fabric of Art Nouveau pattern which my sister recommended but just as I was about to go ahead with that idea, she gave me a blouse which she no longer wears.
And just like that, the switch in me flipped and I imagined something much better.
On its own, the blouse looked unattractive and more like a pyjama top but once I turned it the other way around, it just fit perfectly with the dress because like every cloud has a silver lining, so did this blouse.
The black and silver lines, the shiny fabric; all fits very nicely together.
One set back though, if I went ahead with this idea, because the blouse is a stretchy fabric, it would stretch over a period of time. And because the design I am after would be going against the grain of the fabric, it would mean that the new dress would become longer over time.
So, in order to avoid the unnecessary from happening, I have devised a plan. I would anchor the stretchy fabric onto a stiffer one (not the usual iron on stiffener) by sewing diagonal lines.
I would know if this plan works only after I had worn the new dress several times. If it fails, then I would have to consider other options. But I don't worry much because I am after all, a master of manipulation.
And so the work continues...
There was more than enough fabric from the blouse to make a full length dress. I also did not need to alter the sleeves because I liked them the way they were and they fit perfectly.
While I was conceptualising on the mannequin, I thought I should embellish the new dress with laceribbon to make it look even grander. And so I looked and found just the right one.
Like the tortoise, slowly but surely, in the end, she wins the race...
All in all, I took 2 weeks to complete the new dress, just in time to meet the January deadline.
I absolutely love this dress! Love it even more when I tried it on.
Who could tell that this was a cut-and-paste project, if I had not disclosed the facts?
I can proudly say that you cannot find this item anywhere. 💃🐒👌🙋
