Bridal West
If you are thinking of creating your own western wedding gown, you are in good company. A recent U.S. survey showed that 38 per cent of brides in traditional weddings sew their own gowns or employ a dressmaker. The Canadian figure would be at least as high. Every bride wants to look special; the hand-sewn gown is both a route to individuality and a labor of love. The result could be an heirloom. While uniqueness is important, cost is not to be ignored. The ticket prices on ready-made western wedding gown can be startling. According to Vogue Patterns magazine, a gown retailing for $1,000 can be sewn for $350 using identical fabrics at retail prices. Add the cost of dressmaking, which would start at $125 for the simplest style, and you are still ahead.
Do you dare sew your own? Certainly, if you have fair experience and if you have in mind a western wedding gown that is classically beautiful rather than excessively elaborate or extreme. If your skills are limited, you will want to enlist a friend or relative, or a professional dressmaker or designer who specializes in bridal. Choosing a style is a mysterious process that blends girlish visions, current trends and impressions from other weddings. A good dressmaker can work from a bridal book clipping or adapt a commercial pattern to your preferences. If you are the seamstress, you may want to adhere to a pattern closely, but the selection of styles is very wide. Each pattern book has a bridal section, and Vogue-Butterick has a new bridal catalogue. A universal theme this year is the regal Sarah Ferguson gown in satin and lace. With its sculpted bodice, softly bustled back and "gigot" (puffed) sleeves, it makes a more elegant prototype than Princess Diana's puffy ingenue did. Butterick 4743 and Simplicity 7937, shown below and at far right, are charming approximations complete with flat shoulder bows. In the same genre are McCall's 2342 and 2343, both by Priscilla of Boston. A satin/lace combo involves selecting and positioning the perfect units of precious lace, a step for which you may need help. It is advisable to cut and fit a practice bodice of other fabric before cutting the lace one, also to draw off a full pattern, right and left, for pieces that take lace applique. Sheer embroidered organza is the other big fabric choice today. Usually associated with frothy young styles like Burda 6122 or Simplicity 7261, it can also be adapted to more sophisticated gowns like sinuous Vogue 1826 (shown at right). Since the embroidered edge will form the gown hem, it is vital to determine the finished length before cutting. |