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Death by Design
Emporia State University
2020
Dress cut and sewn by me.
Costume Designer: Olivia Nunnelley
Actress: Mariah Trible
Right: Process photos
The pattern, that I removed the sleeves from.
To start, I cut and slashed the pattern to size it up to the actress's measurements.
The first fitting.
The first fitting.
We made a number of alterations, including moving the point of the side panel down to the actress's natural waist.
I added fullness to the skirt below the knee to allow for performance movement.
I made a second mockup to fine-tune the bodice alterations.
The fashion fabric was a large-patterned, burnout velvet. I matched up the pattern on the centered pieces as much as possible.
The flanges were cut out of delicate chiffon. I pinned it throughly to avoid shifting while cutting.
Surging a rolled hem on the chiffon.
I finished the inside seams of the burnout velvet with an extra line of stitching, pinking the edges.
The gold piping was a strechy, textured fabric, and it was a challenge sew it in place on top of the velvet.
I sandwiched the piping and the flanges in the side seams.
The original pattern used lining instead of facings to finish the neckline and armholes, but because my lining was also a backing for the semi-transparent outer fabric, I felt it would be neater to make a facing.
Understiching the neckline.
The final fitting. I attached the arm flanges to beaded bracelets.
Closeup of the piping and flanges in the side seam.
The finished dress.
The finished dress.
Production shot of the finished dress.
The pattern, that I removed the sleeves from.
To start, I cut and slashed the pattern to size it up to the actress's measurements.
The first fitting.
The first fitting.
We made a number of alterations, including moving the point of the side panel down to the actress's natural waist.
I added fullness to the skirt below the knee to allow for performance movement.
I made a second mockup to fine-tune the bodice alterations.
The fashion fabric was a large-patterned, burnout velvet. I matched up the pattern on the centered pieces as much as possible.
The flanges were cut out of delicate chiffon. I pinned it throughly to avoid shifting while cutting.
Surging a rolled hem on the chiffon.
I finished the inside seams of the burnout velvet with an extra line of stitching, pinking the edges.
The gold piping was a strechy, textured fabric, and it was a challenge sew it in place on top of the velvet.
I sandwiched the piping and the flanges in the side seams.
The original pattern used lining instead of facings to finish the neckline and armholes, but because my lining was also a backing for the semi-transparent outer fabric, I felt it would be neater to make a facing.
Understiching the neckline.
The final fitting. I attached the arm flanges to beaded bracelets.
Closeup of the piping and flanges in the side seam.
The finished dress.
The finished dress.
Production shot of the finished dress.
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