THE DRESS WHICH KEEPS ON GIVING

Do you ever find yourself a dress which you just love? A dress which you feel 100% confident in, you find yourself wearing to everything and a dress which makes you happy every time you see it. Well this is my dress.

I had in mind that I wanted to buy a tropical printed fabric, as I was inspired by the 2017 Resort Collection by Valentino. I visited the lovely ladies at Alla Moda Fabric Collection boutique at the Emporium, Brisbane and it's so overwhelming with all the stunning, finely made fabrics that it seems impossible to decide what to purchase. Then out of the corner of my eye I caught the bright colours and oversized flowers of this gorgeous fabric. As soon as I saw it, I paid little attention to the rest of the fabric in the shop. I'd found exactly what I wanted.

The fabric is a high quality, Italian made linen, which I feel elevates this dress from a casual summer frock to a distinctive outfit which wouldn't be out of place at a garden party or at cocktail hour. I used a pattern I'd already drafted but squared off the neckline as I thought it displayed more of the refreshing colours and flowers in the print. I also made the straps thick to show more of the print. (I really just can't get enough of the print). I used white cotton voile to only line the bodice. I doubled the size of my waist to gather the skirt and I'm happy the skirt isn't too full, but still has a nice swish. The bodice and skirt meet perfectly at my natural waistline which I accentuated with a hand-dyed silk ribbon, made in Seattle, which I found in Magnolia Interiors in Brisbane. I didn't have any intention of putting the ribbon with the dress when I bought it, but it just so happened that the liliums in the fabric were a similar colour to the ribbon. I like a simple style but the straps meeting in the shape of a 'V' adds a subtle detail to the garment. The back just has an invisible zipper so it's easy to just step into. To finish the outfit, I wear a pair of navy suede pointed heels by Kurt Geiger and I have to say I feel pretty amazing in it.

I spent most of my time making and testing the fit of the pattern but I'd estimate it took about 10 hours to make the dress. I did manage to cut the process to about 7 minutes so you can see the dress come together in the video.

Cheers, Alexandra Xx