SPRING COLLECTION: DESIGN #5 OF 5

Friday, April 20, 2012



This is the final look in my collection (and my favorite; which is why I saved it for last!) This look was inspired by soil and the expansive network of tree roots. Again, I wanted to stick with the theme of a second skin and I particularly envisioned the imagery of roots wrapping around the body and these brown appliques were perfect for the effect I was looking for. Similarly, I was also inspired by the way that dust or the feathery bristles of dandelions look as the float through in mid-air. I added a tulle maxi-skirt overlay on which I then attached more of the brown appliques to the hem so they would give the appearance of being suspended in mid-air while also looking as if they were crawling upwards.

For this dress, I purchased about 3 yards of thick muslin ($3 per yard), 3.5 yards of shimmery brown tulle ($2 per yard), and $28 worth of brown appliques ($2 each and I bought 14). I also used a gold accented zipper in the back as well as black elastic at the waist of the tulle maxi skirt (which might I mention is removable so you can wear the dress short, or long with the tulle skirt!) And for the dye, I used a mixture of the Cocoa Brown powder Rit dye ($3) and the Tan ($3).

The construction of this dress started by making a basic strapless, babydoll dress. Then I pinned on the appliques to the dress and machine sewed them on. It didn't matter if it wasn't neat, so long as they stayed put because I did not sew them onto the interior lining, so I had the lining available to cover up the stitch lines afterwards. For the tulle overlay, I just made a maxi skirt and put in a waistband. I also machine sewed on the appliques to the skirt because the tulle is so thin that you wouldn't even be able to see where I had sewn regardless. The total cost of materials to make this dress was approximately $60.

This dress was everyone's favorite at the fashion show :D Hopefully it is yours too because I believe this to be the strongest piece in my collection. I still love my other pieces but this is the piece that I will be most proud to present to colleges! (Unless I am able to make more pieces this summer as I am working on the fine arts portion of my portfolio). I hope you guys like this piece as much as I do!

I'd also like to say THANK YOU to everyone for your undying support and constructive criticism. It's hard to put into words how much I appreciate it. So let's just say I appreciate it as much as I love Robert Downey Jr!!! :) As I've said before, in the future, should I fulfill my aspirations as I envision, I will remember the support I received in the beginning the most because without it, I would not be where I was in the end.





65 comments:

  1. Oh wow. This is definitely my favorite piece that you made! It's absolutely gorgeous!! I love the overlay - it adds so much character to the dress! Beautiful! I can totally see this garment being sold at a boutique or something! (: LOVE ^__^ You have major talent! Incredible dress!

    -theresa
    collaredblouse.blogspot.com

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    1. Love ya Theresa! <3 xx I hope one day it can be sold at my own boutique ^^ Then I would invite all my blogger and LB friends to come!

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  2. I'm obsessed with lace appliques so your dress made my heart melt! Good luck with your portfolio. Not that you need any luck, you're so talented!
    xo
    Fabi

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    1. Thank you so much Fabi!! You are really much too kind! :'D

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  3. i'm in love with this dress, are you selling it?xx

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    1. Thank you Alix! <3 I'm not selling it because I am very attached to it :P I also want to keep it as proof in case any colleges needed to see it in person for verification or something. I hope that maybe in the near future I could be able to find a way to mass manufacture my designs though! Perhaps if you can find similar appliques at a fabric store, you could take it to a seamstress and they could make you one like it! ^^

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  4. Wow, I can't believe you made that dress, it's so beautiful, I think I'm getting obsessed by it!

    Well done girl!

    XO, Imke

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  5. wow i love your creations <3 so stunning!

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    1. Hehe thank you Verena! I love your name by the way :3

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  7. gosh! this is my favorite!

    http://tramplingicecream.blogspot.com/

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  8. Aww you should be proud of yourself hun :) at your age and you are able to get where you are, this is incredible not everyone can do that !! you are full of talent :) and you worked your talent so hard !! this last dress is definitely "THE" outfit :) you should make them for sale because I will def be your customers !! hope to see you up there one day holding a fashion show in fashion week !! gosh I love your work so much !!!

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    1. Ahhhh thank you so much for your kind and thought-out comment Jessica! <3 I wish I could somehow make them for sale :( I just don't have time this summer to make individual replications of them for people who want them :( Perhaps in the future, this dress could be mass manufactured! I do truly hope that one day I can have the privilege of showing at NYFW! <3 I hope all my blog readers could come and watch too ^^

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  9. oh wow this dress is true art, the bronze tone, the lace, it's all an interpretation of art. and yes I bet we all have our own art in our blood. on a very young age, you can interpret such things, that's attractive and gorgeous:) my mum is a designer, she has a couture, bet she would love this,, mind to follow back?:)
    www.reinhardtkenneth.blogspot.com

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    1. Aw thank you Reinhardt! That is so cool that your mom is a designer! It must be a wonderful experience to have a parent already in the fashion industry :) <3

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  10. Wow! I love this dress! I'm not the kind of girl that wears dresses a lot, but I really love this dress! This is like my dream dress. It is the prettiest dress I've ever seen! This dress really inspired me, I am going to try to make one myself. Hope you don't mind.. And I think it's great that someone of my age is so talented already. xxxxx Niallëa

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    1. Thank you so much Niallëa! You are much too kind! :') Oh I don't mind. If you didn't tell me, I wouldn't even know that someone out there was making a dress inspired by mine xD Besides, even though people expressed interest in asking me to make them a dress like this, I wouldn't have time so I wouldn't blame them for trying to make their own or asking a local seamstress to do it :P

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  11. That is so beautiful! I love the tulle skirt; your dress inspires me to sew. :P I wish I could create something as beautiful as you have. Great job! :)

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    1. Thank you Rachel! Tulle was surprisingly easy to manipulate! You can find tulle skirt DIY tutorials online everywhere :) You should definitely try sewing if you haven't before; if not to make your own garments, it's a very handy skill to have when you need to patch something up, hem something or take something in! You can also buy clothing really cheap at thrift stores and then alter it to your size, which is what I do with a lot of things I buy to help save money ^^

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  12. I just found your blog. LOVE IT! perfect outfit, nice pics!
    following u

    xxx
    www.cristeene.blogspot.com
    www.cristeenepics.blogspot.com

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  13. P.E.R.F.E.C.T.O !!!!!!!!!

    please give me your dress PLESE !!! or SELL ! PLEASE!!!! <3

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    1. Ahhh I'm so flattered xD Thank you hahaha I can't sell it because I'm keeping it for proof if I ever need it again in the future :) But I would not object to someone taking the photos to a seamstress to see if they could make you one instead :)

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  14. wonderfulwondefulwonderful! your dress is really gorgeous:) xx

    http://blizzard-wolf.blogspot.com/

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  15. Wow, your looks are truly amazing! Cant believe your only 16!


    http://riley-ellise.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Thanks Riley! :D I'm one of the youngest people in my grade. I won't even be 18 years old by the time I start college! xD

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  16. wow, so beautiful

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  17. just found you from chictopia...i'm SO IN lOVE WITH YOUR BLOG! literally just stalked everything back to thanksgiving. I'm 16, too, so i love reading blogs of girls who are my age! it's so great to know young people are fashionable too :) Can't believe you MADE THAT. you're fabulous and fashionable and gorgeous and i'm SO glad i found you <3
    Rory
    www.WearAboutsBlog.com

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    1. Wow thank you Rory! Hahahaha yay I'm so proud to have someone read so far back into the archives! ^^ I just checked out your blog and I'm going to follow you as well!! Glad to meet another fellow blogger who is my age too :) Let's keep in touch!

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  18. ahh! this is amazing. i love it!

    http://www.the-launderette.com

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  19. You are so talented, every design has been amazing, and this literally made my jaw DROP. It is a BEAUTIFUL gown, something definitely worth for haute couture runways!!!!

    http://heydahye.blogspot.com/

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    1. Wow you are much too sweet Dahye!!! Thank you so so much for the support :D <3

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  20. this dress looks amazin dear!!! especially on you!

    visit my blog too if you want on www.aboutblackponies.com

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  21. I feel so proud that I got to model this dress :) it is so beautiful, and it looks really good on you! Also, I saw your comment and I could totally make a collage of you with RDJ! Wanna send me some pictures of you and of him? I can find other pictures of him too, I just want to use ones you like ;)

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    1. Thank you for modeling it for me! ^^ And LOL yes of course, I shall definitely get on that now that DQs/notes are a thing of the past for me now >:D

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  22. This is amazing!! I came across your blog through look book. You are absolutely inspiring and talented! Do you mind if i ask how did you sew on the appliques? Did you zig zag or just did a normal straight stitch along the edges?
    Keep up the amazing work xx :)

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    1. Oh thank you so much :D I did a normal straight stitch although sometimes I reinforced the stubborn pieces of the lace with lots of backstitching. Although perhaps a zig zag stitch would stabilize it more but it's pretty sturdy with the straight stitch :)

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  23. holy crap. this is so beautiful! it looks like you have a crown following you around because of the sheer drop. you are one helluva designer, girl! so proud of you

    pandaphilia style

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    1. Oooh I didn't think of it like a crown :D Thank you Angie!!! <3 Much love! xx

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  24. I love love your blog Jennifer ;D !
    I hope that you will visit mine soon ♥
    kisses

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  25. I love the dress!!
    Fabolous outfit.

    Azzurra-Bellini.blogspot.com

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  26. This dress is so incredible! Amazing work =]

    <3 Jenna
    paperclippywonders.blogspot.com

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  27. oh my god, this dress is amazing! it looks so good on u :) x

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  28. this is such a breathtaking garment that i just have to leave a comment! the detailing is just <3! xx

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  30. This is the most beautiful dress I've seen!!!
    Best wishes from far Ukraine=)

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  31. Owwwwwww I admire youuu <3 It's beautiful, i love your style :) <3 I'm following you, follow back if u like :) !!!
    http://emeraldever.blogspot.com/

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