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Tuesday 13 September 2011

Michelle, my belle


Be still my beating heart!
I recently saw this picture of the beautiful Michelle Williams wearing a red lace dress by Erdem at the 54th Annual Times BFI London Film Festival "Conviction permiere. My instant reaction was that of delight and envy! It's bold, it's classy, it's refreshingly different. So naturally fashion reviews are either raving or scathing; there's just no pleasing everyone. I love a debated opinion, that's what makes fashion so interesting, the diversity of tastes and ideas!

Well I am definitely in the 'love it' category (did you notice the animal print shoes??!!) and so I started obsessing over how I could make my own version of this dress. I purchased some red lace from clegs and picked up Vogue pattern #V1230.


Ok, so I know this dress doesn't look much like Michelle Williams, but I wanted to imitate the pleats around the neckline of her red lace dress, and thought this pattern would do the trick. I also like the slightly lower neckline.

So here's my version ...



I drafted my own sleeves and cut a massive rectangle out for the skirt with just one seam at the centre back. I then gathered the skirt to fit the circumference of the waist and a dress is born.





I love this red tule and how pretty the scalloped edges are. This was my first time sewing with lace and I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of use. One word of advice to anyone thinking of giving lace a go: Lace is pretty see-through! If there are any parts of the dress that you don't want to be transparent, or you don't want to see the exposed seams of the lining on the underneath, make sure you interline the lace in those sections. I interlined and lined the bodice, but kept the sleeves unlined for extra effect.



I'm really happy with how this dress turned out, and I suspect it cost a wee-bit less than Miss Williams version.

20 comments:

  1. Hi Julia,
    Loved your reviews on PR and dropped in to see your new blog. You have a wonderful sense of style. All your sewing is so interesting, reminding me of my younger days when I dressed to be noticed, too. Thanks for sharing your creativity and inspirations on-line.

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  2. Oh my goodness Moushka thank you so much for your kind words, you've made my day! You're also the very first person to find and comment on my blog so now I'll never forget you!

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  3. Hi Julia - congratulations on winning the Tessuti Awards 2011 - what an interesting dress - you must be over the moon. All the best and have fun in New York!!

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  4. Hi Evelyne, thank you so much! I am absolutely overjoyed, I can't stop pinching myself! Thanks so much for being my first follower too!

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  5. I adore your red version! it's stunning, and now I'm the jealous one! really beautiful!!!

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  6. Thanks Helene! It's all about the fabric in this one!

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  7. Wow you are amazing, well done!!!

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  8. @Handmade Thank you! Lace is so pretty to sew with.

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  9. @Bec Thanks Bec! All the credit goes to the red lace :)

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  10. love it ..love your blog , u r a hawt,beautiful aussie!I am working on a lace dress ...so thanks for the tips and inspiration! found u thru burda, congrats on the lovely feature there. cu later

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  11. Gorgeous!I almost thought it was the same dress at first. :)

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  12. Wow! I just love this dress, and I like it better than the original. You are an inspiration to me! Thanks for sharing. :)

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  13. I think you AND your dress are cuter than the original. Well done and brava!

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  14. I've just stumbled across your blog, and it's fab! this dress is wonderful, ur soooo clever to do all these.. my mum used to make lots of our clothes when we were small, and i have made clothes in the past, but not for many years, and I'd love to start again.... maybe you'll inspire me!

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  15. Hi julia. Your work is gorgeous. I have been dressmaking about 14 months now and very much still finding my feet! I am also planning on making my version of this erdem dress in black in time for Christmas.

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  16. so so pretty! always love the sheer over color, I have 10 yards of black polka dot just waiting for something like this...love over nude or pink...

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  17. Hi Julia. Do you have a tutorial on drafting your own sleeves, as you did for your Michelle Williams copycat dress?

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  18. Hi Julia. Is it easy to draft one's own sleeve for a pattern?

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  19. Hi Julia. What an amazing talent you have. I too have a fabric stash that even my best friend's husband is scared of - in case I die, she will want to inherit. I was wondering about where did you go for your pattern making course? I can't find clothes that I like and I always have to make patterns to fit my body... not always successfully either. Any direction for the pattern making course would be totally excellent and I would be eternally grateful... I live down in Westernport - down south east Melbourne. Please keep up the great work and inspiring us beginners. Kind Regards, Shar'ron

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