SPRING COLLECTION: DESIGN #2

This is the second outfit I made for my collection :) The goal of this look was built around the idea of a second skin and body art. In my mind, I envisioned using appliques that would look as if they were stuck onto the skin. I wanted this outfit to mimic a goddess of nature so the outfit needed to have the right touch of opulence while still cohering to a barer and more primitive feel, which is why I chose to use nude spandex for the base of the top! I guess if you want to look naked without really being naked, nude spandex is the way to go? Hahaha but moving on, I bought a yard and a half of nude spandex fabric which was $7 or 8 per yard. To make the long sleeve top, I used one of my Under Armour tops, pinned it to the fabric, and cut around the shapes for the torso and sleeves. Using clothing you already have and following the shape of the various parts of the garment is a great way to save money on patterns and also to ensure that your garment will come out with the correct fit. (Commercial long sleeve top patterns tend to be very loosely fitted). Spandex isn't the easiest material to sew with because it only looks good when it's tight and any puckering at the seams shows like crazy! I almost went mad trying to construct this top -.-

The slightly more frustrating part came when I was trying to find the right appliques for the top. I couldn't find any individual pieces I liked so I ended up choosing to buy this gold embroidered fabric by the yard. I only needed a little bit so I asked for 1/8 yard... but I was then told that you can only buy fabric at that particular store in 1/2 yards. This wouldn't have been that big of a deal of the fabric wasn't $40 A YARD! I got it anyways because it was my last resort :( At home, I cut out the shapes I liked from the gold embroidery and then I fit the top over the dress form, pinned the appliques onto the top, and hand-sewed them directly onto the top at various points around the applique. On the day of the show, I had my model put on the top and I wrapped the appliques on the sleeves around her arm and hand-sewed it right on the spot. Don't worry, it only took a couple minutes so it wasn't a frantic panic! ;) All in all, the top cost about $30 in materials but considering I have so much excess gold fabric, the total materials actually used only comes out to be a little over $15?

For the skirt, I had prepped a sheer tulle overlay for another dress but I scrapped it in the end. Towards the last minute, I decided to use the tulle skirt for this outfit instead. The tulle skirt started out at maxi skirt length so I rolled it up from the hem 3 times in to add volume to make a short, bubble skirt. Then I added a thin waistband to finish it off. The funny thing is the tulle actually shifted as I was sewing it so it got pulled around (Lesson learned: Always pin everything before heading to the sewing machine!!) but in the end, the way the tulle was oddly gathered, ended up making the skirt appear more voluminous so I got lucky! ;) The tulle is $2 per yard and I used 3 yards, plus the waistband, I already had. There's also a white bandage skirt underneath that serves as a slip for modesty purposes which I made with scrap pieces of stretch fabric I had left over. In summary, the total amount spent on this outfit was under $25. Not bad right?

I hope you like this look! Thank you everyone for the comments you left on my previous look. They might take you less than a minute to type out but those comments will stick with me for much longer than that and I'll always think back to the comments I received on the first design I posted online, well into the future! <3