Train Roots: A real "Vintage Modern"

Maya was one of my first 6 customers back in 2010 when I was still settling into my Ballard studio.  She brought me her grandmother’s wedding dress (and a yard of matching lace) from the late 1950’s.  Even though the dress was white with a Chantilly lace overlay and completed with a center front gathered bust line, it was more fashion savvy than classic wedding for its time.  Grandma was a trend setter and the style worked great for the vintage modern concept that was so popular that year.   Most importantly the dress was stunning on Maya, and still in great shape despite the delicate nature of the lace. 

 Giving the perfection of the dress there was little to be done other then adds-ons.Maya was dreaming of cap sleeves and an interesting neckline. We looked at some example photos and the neckline from a lace dress I had in stock to determine shape and get started. 

Since the one yard of lace was so fragile I did not want to build the straps and then alter.First I did a mock-up of the sleeves and neckline and fit them with dress to get the curvature of the shoulder seams and determine attachment points to the dress.The actual sleeves were backed with tulle then organza to give them a little extra strength, since the lace would have shredded if it was supporting all the weight.

The beautiful simple nature of this dress was screaming to be paired with a veil.Since we had plenty of lace scraps I cut out small appliqués and scattered them along the veil edge.

 The end result was picture perfect!