Grace Kelly's Blue Chiffon Gown- To Catch a Thief

 Styled after the gown worn by Grace Kelly in Alfred Hitchcock's ''To Catch a Thief'' Made using a blue crepe satin and two shades of blue chiffon. After checking the local shops and all the online fabric shops i could think of I was only able to find a light blue and an almost royal blue chiffon with the yardage i needed, i would have loved to have been able to get a lighter shade for the contrasting chiffon giving it that more subtle look of the original but still love the look with the darker chiffon. The shoulder drape is removable and can snap on to the shoulder strap with a thread loop. The bodice is fully lined with boning support and bra cup. The back wraps and hooks. There are several layers of fabric making this dress surprisingly heavy, though it looks like it would be super light it actually weighed almost 3lbs once finished.

I am finally getting to the end of my orders for this year, some may have noticed my etsy shop is on ''vacation'' mode until January. I will be back taking orders again then, don't worry! I have also been listing lots of vintage clothing items in the other shop Psychedelic Pinup also on Etsy, check it out! :-)

Marilyns Royal Blue Wiggle Dress & Bolero - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

 Updated version of the blue wiggle dress and bolero from "Gentleman Prefer Blondes'' in a stretch blue suiting with back invisible zipper. I am always adjusting and improving my patterns so they can be the best fit possible, with this one i adjusted the collar pieces, simplifying the shape by making two of the smaller parts one so there is less bulk at the neck and changing how i place the boning to the inside seam to keep the collar upright. little things that aren't super obvious on the outside but make the piece more comfortable and easier to construct.

And here are the pics of the first version i made back in 2012, it seems i never shared them before, oops! Made using a matte stretch satin fabric. I stopped using metal eyelets because they tend to pull out of the fabric when stressed and a belt is a high stress area even with the heavy belting.

Custom Silk Wiggle Dress & Customer Photo

This was a fun project, the client sent me this beautiful silk print fabric with a great wide border, the basic dress shape was inspired by a vintage dress she saw on Etsy. She wanted set in sleeves to the elbow and pockets added. The border placement was the most tricky, getting the shoulders to line up and switching the sleeve border so it matched the under-bust border direction, The entire dress was sewn with a cotton underlining to support the silk and then a full nylon lining. The pattern i made by using a basic 50's empire waist dress and draped the front bodice. She was wonderful enough to send a quick picture of the dress on as well :-)

Audrey Hepburn's Oscar Dress- Variations

 One of the most classic dresses ever worn is the ivory lace dress worn by Audrey Hepburn when she accepted her Oscar. It has been a favorite style for modern brides looking for a vintage flavor but i get requests for modifications now and then and thought id share s few of the variations. The photo above is a dress i made using all white materials instead of ivory and i did a full back in lace with a V-neckline instead of the double straps.

 Another variation to this style was to make the lace top removable with a button back and to add elbow sleeves to be worn for the church ceremony and after remove the 'jacket' to show a strapless sweetheart dress for the reception. With this one i used a linen fabric and a cotton and nylon embroidered lace.

I also ran across this image below which is almost exactly the same style except is has what looks to be a halter front with a higher neckline in the lace and i love the addition of the elbow length gloves!

below is the actual dress on display that Audrey wore for comparison :-) 

Client Photos July 2015

 My wonderful customers have sent more photos! It seriously makes my day when someone sends pics :-)

Above is the Marilyn Monroe Piano dress with the Fancy Lace and blue lining you can find it here :

http://www.morningstarpinup.com/store/p5/Pinup_Piano_Dress.html

Above is the Marilyn's Mexico Dress in Green Jersey Knit, available on request only very limited yardage. 

Above is the lovely Deborah again this time wearing her custom Marilyn Monroe 'Subway Dress' You even get the full skirt effect with her standing on her fan, so cute!

 and lastly is the Ann Miller ''On The Town Dress'' Green twill with full plaid lining- plaid options change very quickly so if you are interested in this or any other item you see on this blog just send me a message here or on Etsy :-)

Audrey Hepburn's Funny Face Wedding Dress

I have been asked so many times about making this dress and i finally got to do it! I used a beautiful medium weight silk satin and an ivory dotted tulle for the over skirt and the cape. My client wanted the shoulders to have little gathers as well as at the bust. The body has four darts front and back with boning. There is a built in petticoat as well as horse hair in the hem. The cape buttons on the inside of the neckline in the back with a hair comb hidden under the little bow of the hood. Below are the images i found most helpful when working on this dress. It really is so pretty in person i almost didn't want to box it up and send it on its way :-)

Customer Photos- June 2015

First i have the lovely Deborah wearing the Red Velvet Dress i posted about before, earlier post Here.

Im so pleased with how it came out and being able to see it on, since i cant do fitting alway around the world i'm never sure exactly how things are going to work on. You can check out Deborah's professional  facebook page here :

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Debra-Monroe/106927779488159

Second I have a photo from the lovely Ayelet wearing the Marilyn Monroe Hallway Dress styled with her own belt. See the post about this dress here. She specializes in Natural skin care products and is currently doing a Product Fundraiser for her shop. Check it out! You can also find her Etsy shop here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/AyeletNaturals?ref=l2-shopheader-name