Pink Dress Sketches – Endless Conversion Possibilities!
When I posted the Before of this dress on my Instagram asking for your conversion ideas I got so many inspiring suggestions it was absolutely incredible! And omg – they were so good!! So where to start? ALWAYS with sketches – they don’t have to be pro (draw your idea onto an online template!) – it truly is the closest thing you’ll get to seeing it in real life and helps bridge the imagination gap from idea to reality. It’s a step I say is essential before you reach for the scissors as you don’t get multiple chances when converting – there’s only one dress!
YOUR IDEAS
It was surprising how many of you were into the pants idea – I get it! They’d be epic! When converting a skirt to pants you always lose a little length but one way of defying the limit is to add a false turn-up! It would need lining in a stiff fabric to keep it in shape but could work a treat.
Do you realize how many outfits were hidden within this dress? It’s no wonder that I got a little anxious about diving in – this dress deserves conversion perfection!
THE FABRIC
Material in this colourway, texture, weight and structure would be impossible to buy in today’s world which makes is fantastically special. To create this kind of dress from scratch today, the most obvious fabric to use would probably be shantung silk, lined with organza, and it would look fabulous. But the unique thing about this particular vintage material is that it has a crazily intense 2-tone pink/orange neon colourway and is almost stiff in structure. It really felt like a do-or-die situation with this one so I decided not to rush and kept tweaking the sketch until I felt thoroughly convinced that my vision would do it justice.
THE RESULT
The wide stretch of plain fabric forming the front panel of the dress across showcases the fabric’s luminosity. I wanted to create light reflecting contrast without using gathering at the front to keep the look super modern and simple – yet interesting. The sleeves therefore are pieced together from cut-out shapes – the shot satin holding court all by itself.
The back is a twist on the story… The gathers that run from side to side serve to keep the width opened up to prevent collapse and add yet another simple dimension to the design. Where possible I always join any left-over scraps together to make as long a skinny-scarf as having a matching accessory is a game-changer and instantly adds a high-end dimension to a garment. You can’t buy these sorts of accessories on the high-street so go for your life with them!
BAG ACCESSORY
I’m so excited about the sleeve-shaped clutch bag which will emerge from the remaining bodice piece and sport the pin-tucks and decorative loops. It will get so much wear as a bag also with other outfits – especially in conjunction with the skinny-scarf. I may even cover a few more buttons with some tiny pieces of whatever’s left. I’ll add a picture to this blog as soon as it’s ready.
Here are some of the sketches I drew out based on some of the genius ideas you guys put forward….which is your favorite?
