Kiran's Sari-Inspired Wedding Dress, Part 3 Video: East meets West

You can now check out the making of Kiran's Sari Inspired Wedding Dress in a video format, on youtube here.

The video is split into 3 parts, so make sure you don't miss any parts!

Part one is here.

Watch all the detail and work that goes into making this stunning wedding dress!

Kiran's Sari-Inspired Wedding Dress, Part 2: East meets West

After more than 30 hours of hand sewing, 6 metres of hand beaded Sari, 5 metres of bright Pink Silk Dupion, 5 metres of blue silk lining, 3 metres of silk organza, and countless pins, threads and patience, I give you... Kiran's Sari Inspired Wedding Dress!










(Above, a photo of the back at the unfinished stage- I still needed to finish the hem and hand applique the sari beading onto the pink silk)



(above, the dress before I had hand appliqued the beading. This is at the 2nd fitting stage)


In August I started to show you the Sari Inspired Wedding Dress I was making for Kiran. Take a look at Part 1 here.



(above, the design at the unfinished stage- before the handsewing hand been started. You can see the over-skirt made from most of the sari)

I have now completed the design, and Kiran's wedding was on during the past weekend, so I can show you all the finished design! I intend to include professional photos from the photographer at the wedding, but until I can get a copy, my little snap shots will have to do!

I am also aiming to create a video of the making of this dress- as there is so much work involved, and photos will not really cut it!

For now, I have included below a few photos that I took during the making of this design. It truly is one of most favourite creations, and I am very proud to share it with you!


Cutting out the pink silk dupion for the dress and overskirt edge, and below: sewing the sari chiffon to the pink silk.



Above, the centre back. I created this beautiful shape, being inspired by the shape of the sari beading. I wanted the centre back to be a focus and create lots of interest. Later on, I decided to place one of the Sari beaded motif's in this area.


Above, unpicking the beading. Every place where there was a seam, or where the beading finished at an edge, I would need to unpick the beading and catch all the loose threads. People don't generally realise that as soon as you include beaded fabric to a design, the time taken to finish it is at least doubled because of this.

Below, the beautiful beaded design of the sari- this part of the sari was appliquéd around the bust area on the corset dress and at the centre back of the train.



A picture of the overskirt before I started to add any of the beaded trim.


Creating the corset which sits inside the dress.



Above, finishing off the inside of the overskirt- the inside must be as neat as the outside!

Kiran's Sari-Inspired Wedding Dress, Part 1: East meets West

Ok, so this is a little teaser for all of those interested in the Sari-Inspired wedding dress I am currently making. I can't show you too much, as I think it is only fair that the wedding guests see the final dress before the rest of the world!, but I wanted to show you the work involved in this design and all the handmade touches that go with it!

This dress is for a lady I have known ever since I started selling at Paddington Markets- over four years ago! Kiran, the bride, is one of my best customers, and I don't usually make wedding dresses, but for her, I was happy to do it. She always asks for something special and different, and through out the years we have grown to understand each others aesthetic, and more importantly, have become friends. I knew that she was going to want something completely different, and I couldn't wait to get started!


As Kiran is Indian-Australian, the first thing I said to her is that we should include the cultural influence. The above drawings is a rough idea of what the design has started out as. As the title of this posting implies, we wanted to keep an even mix of Eastern and Western cultures alive in this design; so we have a western-style corset dress, and as she walks down the aisle, we will have a gorgeous train/overskirt made from the Sari (pictured below).


After a while of searching for the perfect fabric, Kiran showed me this beautiful Sari that her Mum and herself had picked out. I was thrilled straight away! Anyone who knows me, knows that I love over-the-top decadence, so it was really exciting to be able to work with something such as this!



We decided that the plain bright pink silk dupion would be used for the corset dress, as this colour ties in with the beading, and really highlights Kiran's complexion. The navy blue silk chiffon sari will be used in making the over-skirt. The leftover beading/pieces of the sari will be used for decoration.


I generally get images/visions in my mind when I am really into a particular design (it sounds weird, I know, but I have no idea how else to describe it). Every time I envisaged this design, I could see the pink silk added to the over-skirt hem, and constructed into really interesting shapes that would add detail and interest to the back. As we had discussed, most guests would have a view of the back of her dress throughout the whole ceremony, so we wanted to make the back a feature.

The above and below photos show the toile (or prototype) of the dress, with the over skirt attached. Imagine wherever the white fabric is, that is where bright pink silk will be; wherever the black is, that represents the sari.




The above picture is the corset dress toile, so imagine this in bright pink silk.

As you can see, there is a lot more to go on this design. I will be updating this design as I proceed further, in the next few months- so stay tuned!

Take a look at PART 2 here!

Take a look at some of my other designs here:

Crystal's Wedding Dress: Part 2

In November, when I posted the "Crystal's Wedding Dress: Part 1" entry, I promised that I would post the photos from the wedding day... so here they are!



Of course, Crystal is a beautiful girl, and you could place a sack on her, and she would still be glamorous and beautiful; but I like to think that perhaps my design has helped to enhance that beauty!



They had a quiet civil ceremony in Edinburgh- aren't the photos lovely!



If you haven't seen the part 1 entry, or can't remember it, please make sure you take a look! It features the making of the dress; the design process of concept to realisation- a little background of how I work, and how I create my designs.



The coat is a Penelope Red design too, it is actually the same style as the Penelope Red Silk Road Hooded Coat, which is available in my etsy shop.

I can also make the coat in other colours as well.




The dress is a similar style to my Winter Tailored Dresses- more on those later!



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Crystal's Wedding Dress: Part 1

My best friend, Crystal, is getting married! They have chosen to elope to Scotland in December, and have a civil ceremony there, then enjoy a honeymoon travelling throughout Europe- how exciting!

I have been asked to create the wedding dress- quite excited!

To see the completed designs, and photos from the wedding day take a look at Crystals Wedding Dress: Part 2

The design brief:

Classic Audrey-inspired style, with an understated elegance. A dress that she can wear with ballet flats, and still be sophisticated. It must include the Scottish Tartan of her fiancé's clan, but not clash with the elegant look. It also needs to be warm; but since we are limited to virtually no choice of winter fabrics here at the moment, we had to make do with whatever fabric we could find - they plan to elope in December! We are using silk dupion for the dress, and a wool boucle for the coat.

This is what I came up with...


I noticed that the tartan ribbon Crystal bought was a synthetic fibre, and it would pleat easily. Pleating the ribbon would also mean that it would sit around curved lines easier, than if I left it straight.



I decided to cut the pleated ribbon in half, and attach it around the sweetheart neckline, and around the pointed sleeves.




I made the sleeves with a point as it mirrors the sweetheart neckline curves.




To help create extra warmth in the dress, I have placed a cotton/silk interlining throughout the entire dress, as well as interfacing where needed. This is all encased in a beautiful silk lining. An invisible zip fastens at the back.




The coat:

Crystal's engagement ring features a blue sapphire in the centre, and the tartan also features a Navy blue. As we had very limited fabric in the wool bouclé, we needed to include other fabrics to create this coat; we chose a Navy wool for the contrasting panels at the shoulders and for the hood, and a faux fur was used at the sleeve cuffs and hood edging.


The Navy panels at the shoulders will draw the eye up to the shoulders, rather than the hips; a Navy blue belt will be worn with the coat to draw in the waist. Navy blue buttons will be added to the centre front.


The faux fur adds drama and glamour- I can just imagine it once she has her make-up and everything is finished! I can't wait to see photos!



We will also be shortening the coat. I can't wait to see the finished product!!



To see the completed designs, and photos from the wedding day take a look at Crystals Wedding Dress: Part 2

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A Bush Wedding

So, when I posted about my Red Halter Dress, I promised I would post better photos of it- hopefully at my friend's bush wedding... so here they are!

The weather was gorgeous! We couldn't have asked for better, and the scenery was stunning! My friend's parents own a property in the beautiful Megalong Valley, Blue Mountains, Australia. It is 96acres of complete bushland, besides a small clearing near the house and garage.




A friend once said he had never seen so many trees, until he had visited Australia, and seen the Blue Mountains. What our mountains lack in size, they make up for it in untamed beauty.

The above photo is the podium/stand where they had their ceremony. The cliff in the background is typical Blue Mountains bushland- sand stone, and lots of it!





Isn't my friend beautiful in her wedding dress?! She was at least sensible and wore flat shoes- her bridesmaids not so!





The back of my dress... I was so lucky I didn't get sunburnt! Flat strappy shoes was the best option for the day- so many girls wore heels- I am not sure what they were thinking!? For once, I was the girl who went for comfort!



Angela, Me, Sarah, and Peta. I have known Sarah and Peta since we were 8 years old together!



One of the stunning views surrounding their property.



This shot was taken on the way home, while the sun was setting behind us. The sun is reflecting onto the rocks, making them appear bright orange/red. I haven't adjusted the colour on this photo at all, in fact it is a little duller compared to what it was in real life.

I am originally from the Blue Mountains; living there until I was 21. The world and city called to me, and I left and never returned, except to visit. Whenever I go back, I enjoy my time there, but I still feel the city is my home.

I would recommend to anyone visiting Australia, to visit the Blue Mountains. You can reach them within 1 hour from Sydney (2.5hours to get to the Megalong Valley), and it truly is a very different and beautiful experience compared to the city.

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