Paula
The Donated Dress
Paula's dress is from 1987. It is made from a polyester satin fabric. The lace appliqués are made from a cotton or cotton-blend fiber. The gown has cutouts throughout the skirt and sleeves that are patched over with appliqué. On top of the appliqué, the gown had hand-sewn pearls and sequins.
The Construction
This was the first dress to be made in the collection. It was made using zero-waste techniques, meaning every scrap of fabric was used in the final garment. A muslin dress was draped, then patterned. As you would a regular garment, pattern pieces were cut from the fabric. Not wanting to waste any pieces an uneven seam allowance was left around the pieced and the stitch lines were then hand drawn onto the fabric.
The Style
Paula's dress was a full a-line skirt, made up of many yards of fabric. A drastic new shillouette was desired. The new dress would be a fit-to-flare gown. The entire body of the new gown was was able to be made from just the skirt of Paula's dress. The bodice could then be made into a detailed back bow. The sleeves into accessories.
Before Images of the ORIGINAL dress
FInal Images
