May's Projects- Marilyn, Audrey and More

As i'm sure you can tell wedding season is in full swing! These are just a few of the things I finished this month.

Above is the picture I was given (taken from an ebay listing) a bias cut Dior dress without a lining that was not the correct size for my customer. The fabric she chose and sent to me is a synthetic chiffon and is a bit stiffer than the chiffon the original dress was obviously made with but it worked out well despite weight difference. I used a light weight satin fabric also cut on the bias for the slip. It was one of my favorite projects this month though not my usual vintage style I enjoyed the challenge of figuring out all those circular ruffles, also note the covered button closure up the side.





This dress and jacket are a combination of the Audrey dress above and the Marilyn dress and jacket below.







A favorite dress in faux plum silk with a higher back neckline.




A rarely seen photo pf Marilyn Monroe in an early costume test and my version made from that image, using stretch satin.




Forever a classic the Sabrina dress in blue Thai silk

Elizabeth Taylor-Suddenly Last Summer

This fantastic dress is from the dramatic film ''Suddenly Last Summer''
staring Elizabeth Taylor, though filmed in black and white there are color publicity shots, though each one shows a lightly different green. Below is the dress i made recently using the pictures above. It is made of organic linen, lined in cotton with full boning and bra cups built into the bodice. The skirt is 6 gores each with a pin tuck down the center, you can see the detail in the last black and white image. the bodice neckline is finished off with a facing, as you can see in some of the images of Liz the facing is obvious. In some shots the neckline looks straighter and others more sweetheart, I went with the more sweetheart shape. I also made a matching belt, this is the first time i have used a cover kit for the buckle, it was surprisingly easy. This dress is available over at my Etsy shop Morningstar84 for more details :-)

Measurements and Sizing

I found this diagram and thought it may be helpful for those who aren't sure where or how to measure themselves. Every seamstress/dressmaker/designer has a few of their own preferred measurements that arent standard but i thought this diagram had a good list of just about everything.
Below is my own sizing system, roughly based on today's US sizes and measurements with a little added based on trends I have seen in customers measurements over the years.

XXS BUST 31 WAIST 25 HIP 35

XS BUST 33 WAIST 26 HIP 36

S BUST 35 WAIST 28 HIP 38

M BUST 37 WAIST 30 HIP 40

L BUST 39 WAIST 32 HIP 42

XL BUST 42 WAIST 35 HIP 45

XXL BUST 44 WAIST 37 HIP 47

3XL Bust 46 Waist 39 Hip 49

4XL Bust 47 Waist 41 Hip 51






Standard US sizes below as listed by J.Crew 4/18/2012
____________________________________________________________________________________

Regular Sizes
size (us)	numeric size  (us)	bust	natural waist	hip
XXXS	000	30	23	33
XXS	00	31.5	24	34
XS	0	32.5	25	35
XS	2	33.5	26	36
S	4	34.5	27	37
S	6	35.5	28	38
M	8	36.5	29	39
M	10	37.5	30	40
L	12	39	31.5	41.5
L	14	40.5	33	43
XL	16	42	34.5	44.5
XL	18	44	36	46.5
XXL	20	46	37.5	48.5

Regular Sizes
size (us)	numeric size       (us)	bust	natural waist	hip
XXXS	000	77.5	58.5	84
XXS	00	80	61	86
XS	0	82.5	64	89
XS	2	85	66	91.5
S	4	87.5	68.5	94
S	6	90	71	97
M	8	92.5	73.5	99
M	10	95	76	101.5
L	12	99	80	105.5
L	14	103	84	109
XL	16	107	88	113
XL	18	112	91.5	118
XXL	20	117	95	123

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BRA Size Conversion Charts

Brazilian Bra Sizing
below is a chart from this website
http://www.brazilingerie.com/blog/guide-to-brazilian-bra-sizes/
explaining Brazilian Bra Sizing.

Brazilian sizes do not take in consideration cup sizes. Each number falls within a combination certain range of bust size and thorax size. With the table table and your American size you can find your appropriate Brazilian size for bras:

Brazil Size	American Size	Bust (cm)	Thorax (cm)
40	32a, 32b	83 to 87	68 to 72
42	32c, 32d, 34a, 34b	88 to 92	73 to 77
44	34c, 34d, 36a, 36b, 32dd	93 to 97	78 to 82
46	36c, 36d, 38a, 38b, 34dd	98 to 102	83 to 87
48	38c, 38d, 40a, 40b, 36dd	103 to 107	88 to 92
50	40c, 40d, 42a, 42b, 38dd	108 to 112	93 to 97
52	40dd	113 to 120	98 to 102

Other Countries Conversion Charts:


Band Conversion Chart

UK	USA	Europe	France	Italy	Australia
28	28	-	-	-	-
30	30	-	-	-	-
32	32	70	85	1	10
34	34	75	90	2	12
36	36	80	95	3	14
38	38	85	100	4	16
40	40	90	105	5	18
42	42	-	-	-	-
44	44	-	-	-	-
46	46	-	-	-	-
48	48	-	-	-	-
50	50	-	-	-	-
52	52	-	-	-	-
54	54	-	-	-	-
56	56	-	-	-	-

Cup Conversion Chart

UK	USA	Europe	France	Italy	Australia
AA	AA	AA	AA	-	-
A	A	A	A	A	A
B	B	B	B	B	B
C	C	C	C	C	C
D	D	D	D	D	D
DD	DD or E	E	E	DD	DD
E	DDD or F	F	F	E	E
F	G	G	G	F	F
FF	H	H	H	FF	FF
G	I	J	J	G	G
GG	J	K	K	GG	GG
H	K	L	L	H	H
HH	L	M	M	HH	HH
J	M	N	N	J	J
JJ	N	O	O	JJ	JJ
K	O	P	P	K	K

http://www.breasttalk.co.uk/size_charts.aspx

STRETCH PERCENTAGES

A 5 inch swatch stretches to:

6 inches	20%
6.5 inches	30%
7 inches	40%
7.5 inches	50%
8 inches	60%
8.5 inches	70%
9 inches	80%
9.5 inches	90%
10 inches	100%

Wicked Theamed Wedding Dress Part Two

I posted about this dress forever ago and i finally got pictures taken, here is the link for the first post about this.
http://morningstar84.blogspot.com/2011/08/wicked-wedding.html



This was the original sketch for this dress, and below the finished product!




Matching asymmetrical lace bolero with back cutout and 3/4 length sleeves and detachable train

Mad Men Season 5 Fashion

I have been watching the new season of Mad Men, as i'm sure lots of people are. I love seeing how they slowly introduce new looks to the show. Megan has already had more interesting outfits so far, I'm not sure how i like her character but her clothes are great.