MAKING A GOWN FROM SCRATCH FOR THE FIRST TIME!

The majority of things I’ve sewn have been inspired by songs, and this dress was no exception. For this gown the design is based off one of my favourite Prince songs – ‘Little Red Corvette’. I made it all from scratch ! I.e. absolutely no dressmaking patterns was used in the creation of this. I created my own patterns and shapes as I went along, referring only to my measurements and pieces I have hand sewn in the past.

Okay, I will admit. For this dress I freestyled all of it. Like I totally made things up as I went along. When I was following the initial design I sketched out, it just wasn’t working out as I hoped it would. I made some mistakes, such as creating too much space in the mid section. However this gave me a chance to play around with it! I’m super glad I did because I really love the results. The main bits I switched up was the triangle cut out in the centre, the secret side slit, and the ruching at the top of it. I love these aspects because it really adds character and makes the gown even more memorable. The ruching mimics the appearance of a bow, matching with the back bow I tied and the overall softness of the velvet material. The triangle cut out in the middle elevates the front look of the gown. Rather than it being drab and plain, there are more shapes being expressed. I also think it slightlyyy resembles a butterfly! When I was creating this I thought I could maybe add some beading like all the iconic butterfly outfits out there, but I didn’t want this to become a ‘butterfly gown’. Despite me diverting from my initial design, it still all based off Prince’s song. I wanted to create something smooth and elegant, that enhances the body of the wearer – aka me. I wanted the focus to be on the person and how the dress falls nicely, fits well and compliments the figure. If I added too much detailing on the front it could be too distracting. However, one day I will indeed create a butterfly/floral based outfit, especially inspired by one of my style icons – Cher, and her stunning look at the Oscars in 1974.

If you remember my Spring Summer capsule project from last year, you’ll know how I’ve managed to create clothes whilst avoiding the task of sewing in zips. Yes, sewing zips CAN be super satisfying, but I don’t enjoy doing them! I didn’t want to have to for this dress, hence why I went with a tie back option. This worked out perfectly because I love incorporating bows in my creation (as mentioned in this article), and it allowed for my back to be exposed. Big big win for me there, as I absolutely love the way backless outfits look. I think it is super fun, and totally perfect if you want to look all alluring and mysterious (check out the blog post I made on backless outfits here!). Perfect vibes matching the inpso song!

Then, the hidden side slit came in. I tried on my gown as I was still making it (the amount of times I’ve pricked myself with a hidden pin is astronomical) because it is sometimes better to see it on you instead of the mannequin. Here I had sewn up one side of the dress and was planning to sew up the other, but then I decided it’d be nice to have a slight show of skin in another part of the dress! It is even more mysterious as its not an obvious side slit. As you can see in the image above, it totally goes unnoticed – until I dramatically stick my leg out.

With no zips I was provided the challenge of ensuring the gown still fit me properly. To be specific, I wanted it to fit me like a glove to prevent any wardrobe malfunctions (I know you can tell that the front part is veryy risky). Thankfully, this red velvet fabric has a stretch to it, allowing me to pop it over my head and shimmy it on easily. The stretch also lets the gown hug my figure perfectly, whilst letting me breathe and move around it freely. It may just be one of the most comfiest things I’ve ever sewn! However, if I have to be totally honest about my experience of sewing with this fabric, it sheds like crazy. By the end of a session it looked like a big fluffy red dog (named Clifford) had rolled all over my workspace. Perhaps I should’ve washed and dried it before I got to sewing (I was very excited to start creating). Really I didn’t mind the shedding at all considering the results and finish of this dress! It is simply a slight inconvenience that doesn’t compare to the satisfaction of me bringing one of my dream sewing concepts to life.

I initially wanted to wear this to a wedding, but I made another dress that suited the vibes better (stay tuned for that in the next post!). Whilst I dressed up for this shoot I realised its much more of a prom / fancy ball type of dress. I find that it looks so classy and glamorous! I would pair it with gold jewellery and accessories to suit the luxe and rich tones of the red velvet. For the makeup I went with a dark sultry soft face to enhance the alluring vibes promoted by the gown (view the tutorial for it here). And of course, soft bouncy curls to contribute to the overall classy glam look being portrayed. I didn’t want the curls too perfected and polished, for I wanted it to relax with the flowy velvety vibes of the gown.

I truly love this dress so much, and I’m so glad I created it this way! Freestyling when you are creating something is the most exciting and rewarding thing ever. It really represents how stepping into the unknown and not playing things safe can result in something so lovely (trust me to turn this happy accident into a life lesson). Whilst I love designing and getting carried away on pencil and paper, its equally fun to experiment with actual fabric.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the insight behind how I sewed this ‘Little Red Corvette’ inspired gown from scratch x