GOLD COCKTAIL DRESS

I was originally considering making a cathedral veil from some gold lace, so I made an online purchase of a lace that caught my eye.  When I received it I realized it wasn't right for a veil....it was much too heavy.  So instead, I thought I'd use it to make a pretty cocktail dress.

Sometimes the beauty of a dress is not only in the design, but in the fabric choice.  While this design has some unique features, like the midriff panel and the open "v" shaped back.  To me, what truly makes this dress special is the fabric.

I used a sandy/taupe satin for the underlayer and really worked on engineering the layout of the motif on the bodice so it not only highlighted the gorgeousness of the lace, but left enough empty space to see the beauty of the underlayer as well. 

I chose to use an invisible zipper to minimize the impact it would have on the motif....because it's hidden, the motif flows nicely right across where the zipper lies.

Finally, I fully utilized the curves and cutouts of the motif to make a totally unique hemline!  Because the underlayer is a good 4 inches shorter, you can really see the florals, branches and abstract patterns. 

The bodice is fully lined and I used french seams for a custom couture finish. 

The dress fit like a charm, and my client was thrilled with it......I'm looking forward to getting a few pictures of her in the dress when she heads out to the NYC theatre district with her husband in just a couple short weeks from now!