Sleigh Custom Dresses

Alicia and Tony's wedding featured in Vermont Vows

2011-10-10T12:56:00.001-07:00

2011-10-10T12:55:00.001-07:00

Congrats to Tara and Brent!

2011-09-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

2011-07-07T23:32:00.000-07:00

Tara's antique dress has a light cotton lining stained with coffee, tulle with lace appliquè at hem, 6 godets with frayed edges, and is crumpled along the bodice. We also worked together to create a washed hemp belt, hair flower, and a tulle and antique lace veil.

2011-04-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

Can local manufacturing make a difference?

Tara's Antique Wedding Dress

2011-04-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

Another great project. Tara's dress has a beautiful combination of coffee dyed chiffon and batiste, nude tulle/English netting, dot tulle in nude, and antique lace. Here are some pics.

2011-04-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

Autumn and Seth's Berkeley Wedding!!

The Wedding Venue: A Parking Garage

2011-01-23T22:17:00.000-08:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/24/us/24garage.html?_r=1

Alicia and Tony's Vermont Wedding

2011-01-22T13:10:00.000-08:00

Alicia's dress was a fun collaborative project. Alicia wanted a gown with a soft pink skirt (similar to Portia De Rossi's Zac Posen wedding dress) However, she wanted less volume, straps, a different fabric, and a higher neckline. Alicia, Emily (a local designer) and I created the dress together. The photography was done by Jauhien Sasnou Photograpy .

"Style Me Pretty" Features Aggie's Wedding

2010-07-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

Thank you to J. Malahy Photo for submitting the beautiful photos of Aggie's Tenesse mountain wedding. The photos were featured in the online publication, Style Me Pretty. I previously blogged about repurposing Aggie's great grandmother's 99 year old wedding dress in March. It was a very memorable project.

2010-07-15T22:47:00.000-07:00

2010-07-15T22:46:00.000-07:00

2010-06-17T08:46:00.001-07:00

Thank you Diana at Diana Maire Photography for taking this beautiful photo! I feel so lucky to have been able to work with you .. I completely agree...Wine, feathers, laughs, and like minded people.

Thank you to my client Autumn for such brilliant impromptu modeling !

Inspiration

2010-05-19T22:13:00.002-07:00

Inspiration/ Watercolours by Daniel Egneus, Swedish illustrator

2010-05-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

2010-05-19T19:39:00.001-07:00

Buttons!

2010-05-19T19:34:00.001-07:00

Autumn's Fitting

2010-05-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

1970's Dress

2010-05-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

I am working on a new project, another heirloom dress. My client, Autumn brought her mothers faded yellow dress from the 1970's to my work space. She wanted to utilize the large square motiff from the bodice of the dress to recreate a more formal gown.

I am creating a strapless dress that will be made from silk charmeuse with a chiffon overlay. The front of the dress will have the same square motif removed from her mother's heirloom piece and tiny buttons down the back. The buttons will be cut from the printed fabric on the sleeve of her mom's 1970's dress.

I love working on original pieces like Autumn's. Her style is cool and irreverent.

Front view of Heirloom Dress

2010-04-28T17:51:00.001-07:00

Heirloom Dress

2010-04-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

I have just completed Aggie's dress. It is the same 99 year old wedding dress I blogged about previously. It fits her perfectly and is completed a month early, whew. I can relax. She is going to have it professionally cleaned and pressed before the wedding on May 30th.

It was interesting, to find her great grandmother had mended the dress many times. It was so beautifully made, with French seams inside and handmade lace. There is a charm in vintage pieces like Aggie's heirloom dress, as if they carry some of the spirit of the person who once wore them.

Repurposing a 99 year old wedding dress

2010-03-19T23:25:00.001-07:00

I am currently working on repurposing a client's great grandmother's 99 year old wedding dress.

My client asked me to remove the bodice of the dress because it looked dated. I redesigned the bodice of the dress to look more modern and backless. I decided to use her great grandmother's slip (which was under the dress) to cut the lining so that the Chantilly lace, which I found at Lacis would actually look old, tattered and slightly yellow, like an antique fabric. I used the bottom half of the original dress replacing a center panel with a different piece of lace from the slip.