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Formal: Betsey Johnson + Gibbous Fashions + My Plan

As I had promised (I think), I'll be writing about formals. It's been a while since I've written something. I'm not exactly pleased with my examination results so I would have to limit the amount of time I have for writing these posts in order to fill them in for some study. 

I suppose Betsey Johnson would be one of the designers I think of whenever I hear anything about Prom. I adore the 50s inspired, feminine dresses they offer - it's just so girly and lacy. While I was thinking about what to wear for my year 10 formal (I didn't end up going), I came across her Evening Tea Party Dress. I had fallen in love. 


 The dress I'm talking about is what Selena Gomez is wearing. 
Now, I'm not a fan of Disney anymore (hey... who didn't watch anything Disney when they were little kids?) but I really liked the dress. 

Of course, the dress doesn't exactly suit my shape, seeing as I don't have much of a waist. Not to mention, it was about US$400... which I wouldn't even consider buying for a year 10 formal. One can make their own replica of the dress with lace, tulle and satin and don't forget the lining. 

Now, I intend on making my formal dress for Year 12. My tastes in clothes haven't changed much but rather I've found something else I adored. Whether it suits my body shape or not, I would just have to adjust it so it does.

My formal dress will be something inspired by Gibbous Fashions. If you have heard of Gibbous, you'd know that it has this "vintage" appeal but it's patchwork and "out there/alternative". I first came across Gibbous before I was hunting down formal dress inspiration. It hadn't crossed my mind that I could use patchwork for my dress. That was until I saw this gown they had created a while ago and I also fell in love.





Of course, I could never get my hands on one because:
1. US$650 - way out of my budget. It's just a night with your school friends.
2. It's sold and it's an original, so there will be only one of them.

I explained to a friend of mine what I intended to do on the train home. She commented that the idea was like "Cinderella", only she's half-transformed, still in rags but at the same time, elegant. That's precisely what it is. 

I drew a quick sketch of how it would look if it were a little longer at the back. However, it ended up looking like something a showgirl would wear. I also added in a little fabric cage but I probably won't end up doing it as it seems out of place. 



Please ignore the messy writing. It was just little notes I made, thinking of the kinds of fabric I could use. It's also very wonky and the strange line that looks out of place comes from one of my chemistry handouts because I was too lazy to take them out. The colouring is horrible because everything was rushed.

What I do plan to keep for my final product is the fluffy skirt and the lace on the neckline. I don't have much of a bust but it's the place I want to draw attention to (because it isn't flat but it isn't va va voom), so any trims and lace and details will do that. The sweetheart neckline will also make my chest look a bit more curvy. Whether my dress will end up being as fluffy as the original, I'm not sure but I'll probably end up toning it down as something very fluffy will make my derriere look huge.
As for the length of the dress, I really don't mind. I don't exactly had great legs to show off but as long as I don't wear striped stockings, I don't think people will look at my legs. I'm a little confused about the diagonal strips of cloth on the bodice and what they will do with my figure but I love that detail. Of course, that'll be something I need to research on. 

For the fabric, I've decided to use both new and old cloth, so it'll have some of that vintage appeal. I've kept about 4m of white soft tulle and I haven't used it (or at least I think it's about 4 metres... it's a lot of tulle. It was originally for a petticoat.) so I'll be using it for the dress. As for silk and other cloth like organza,lacy fabrics, I've been op-shopping for silk shirts in ivory/cream. 

Wish me luck and hope I make it on time. If I ever finish the dress, I would definitely post it up. 


Picture credits, etc:  here, here, Google Images (because I can't remember where the picture came from)

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