Fancy Dresses

I realize that lots of people would consider all my dresses "fancy" to some extent (at least the long ones). These are the ones that were made for specific special events, or which really just seem very fancy. It's a vague boundary.

Patchwork Upholstery dresses, 2007
These date to my patchwork phase. In the midst of that, I was given a box full of upholstery samples, which are generally square to begin with. These dresses were the result. (Now, 10 years later, I still haven't used up the upholstery samples.)

<-- Pink bolero and green dress 2010
The bolero was made to go with something else, which it suited even less (if you can believe it). The green dress was just the last bit of a fabric, which I think was curtains before.


purple surcoat 2009 -->
Made I think originally with the intent to wear it with ren faire kinds of outfits. The grommets didn't set well and snagged the lacing. Also it's lined with a cotton neat print which is so very unsuited to the outer fabric.

<-- black tent, 2007
This was based on a drawing one of my friends had done. It didn't turn out at all how i had envisioned, perhaps because i used an old skirt for it, and didn't do any patterning to speak of.


Stretchy blue dress, 2009 -->
a shaped tube of blue stretch velvet! it looks really nice, for like a clubbing outfit, except it doesnt stay up around the top and I don't go clubbing. Not a stellar combo...

Green mermaid dress, 2011
This was just a fun experiment and I've never worn it. The green velvet was salvaged from an old dress-up dress from when I was a kid, which perhaps says a lot about how little my chest has expanded since childhood. I think the silhouette is very elegant in theory but the dress doesn't actually fit me very well. Lovely color though.

My first prom dress, 2008
The dance wasn't technically a prom, and I was only a freshman at the time. The dress originally had a plain long skirt, plain high back, and no belt that I can recall. I made it over into this much more exciting thing (although the back is so low that even a low-back bra will show).

My second prom dress, 2009
This one was a real prom, but I was the date. I made this dress specifically for the occasion, but I made the back really low and couldn't wear a bra (this was in the days when I wore bras) so I felt uncomfortable the whole night. Now it is too small for me - I think it was a bit tight to start out with.

My senior prom dress, 2011
I took lots of documentary photos of this because I entered that Joanns Prom Contest thing. The contest was a real let-down, honestly - I'm still not sure how they picked the winners.
I did a high-low skirt (still hate those, don't know why I made one), and an adaptation of my boobless bodice craze with the filler attaches to the top. And I wanted a really open back  but I thought to put in a panel to cover my bra strap - it isn't great design-wise but it achieves better unity than letting the bra strap run free.
Since the dress had no pockets and one needs to carry things at prom (and handbags are annoying) I made lil shorts with pockets. They also added a bit of modesty, which I was preferring to have with my skirts at that time.

Day of Silence dress, 2011
In highschool I always participated in the Day of Silence with the GSA. Often we made T-shirts to wear on the day, to have a bit of explanation, but of course senior year I went all out and made a whole dress. I still really enjoy applique as a style of embellishment.
The thing on the back is a peach sign.

Credo Dress 2009
I made this instead of writing a speech for my coming-of-age at church in 10th grade. The various motifs on the skirt represent the four elements plus dark and light - the general gist of my credo was "general paganism". Even now, my current tendency towards animism doesn't really conflict with the dress. And who could argue with that applique work!