The Mathilde Dress
THE PERFECT DRESS FOR ALL YEAR ROUND
I am not sure if there really is a “perfect” dress out there, but this one definitely comes close.
I made it for a client to wear to her wedding reception and I loved it so much that I decided to make on for myself!
Along with this article, there is a full tutorial video and the pattern is available on my Etsy shop! It has been such a fun fall dress and I plan on making a of couple variations in the future!
The Fabric I Used
Wedding Reception Dress
For the Wedding dress, I used a crisp silk dupioni because it would have good volume and my client wanted a rough irregular texture for the fabric so it had an antique feel to it.
IVORY SILK SHANTUNG/DUPIONI
OFF-WHITE HANDMADE PLEATED ORGANZA
MUSTARD YELLOW CHALLIS
Source: Mood Fabrics
Material: 100% Silk
Care Instructions: Dry cleaning is recommended for all silks.
Product #: FS36003-1002
Price: $36.99 / YD
Source: Etsy PoppyLollipop
Material: 100% Organza
Care Instructions: Dry cleaning is recommended
Product: Pleated Hard Yarn Organza Off-White
Price: $12.99 / Yard
My Personal Fall Reversible Dress
I used an autumn color plaid and a mustard challis for my Fall Reversible Dress. I wanted something colorful and fun that would be a good summer-to-autumn transitional piece.
My inspiration comes in unusual ways for me. I saw this plaid at the store and was immediately inspired to replicate the wedding reception dress putting a fall/autumn twist on the design. When I returned home from the store, I laid the plaid out on my desk. A few weeks previous, I bought these amazing vintage school chairs. We bought six different pastel-colored chairs that are just adorable. I picked the Yellow one for my desk. When I saw the plaid on my desk next to my mustard chair, I knew I needed to make it reversible.
When I saw this plaid I was immediately inspired. I went straight home and put it on my desk. The chair at my desk my yellow chair inspired me to make it reversible and add some yellow contrast binding.
DARK RAINBOW OMBRE PLAID BRUSHED COTTON
Source: Swatch-On
Material: 90% Viscose Rayon / 10% linen
Care Instructions: Machine wash gentle cold, nonchlorine bleach, tumble dry low, warm iron.
Product #: PD-00211736
Price: $6.67 / YD
I decided, on top of making the dress reversible, it would be such a cute addition to the design using the Mustard Challis on the plaid side using it for binding the seams around the straps and neck line. I also made the yellow skirt a couple inches longer than the plaid one, so the yellow skirt showed on the bottom when I wore it on the plaid side.
STEP 2 - MAKING THE DRESS
Making the Dress
Rather than typing out each step I took in making the dresses, I created a tutorial video. In the video I show a timelapse of my draping process for the wedding dress, and then my step-by-step process from cutting out the fabric, to the finishing touches.
Designing The Dress
The design for this dress originates from a follower that reached out and requested that I design and make them a custom dress for their “get away” reception dress. She had some design inspiration, most notably the removable puff sleaves and the square neck.
I did a few drawings for her before we landed on the final design you can see to the left. Later I did the drawing for the reversible dress (shown in green). Finding the plaid fabric was not my initial plan, but I think it turned out so cute.
The Finished Dresses
STEP 1 - PICKING YOUR FABRIC
