This spring I was approached with a very special request: Is it possible to upcycle my mom’s prom skirt into a grad dress? I was sent a few images of the skirt in question as well as some inspiration photos and I immediately knew how this could be done. If you ever wondered about the work that goes into making a custom garment, here is the lovely process of how I created the ultimate upcycled grad dress.
The Brief
The original dress is a beautiful boho inspired skirt with a variety of different lace panels. It’s a combination of gathered lace as well as semi circular lace pieces. There is a 5″ jaquard panel at the waist with a lace appliqué in the front in the shape of an M. All the pieces are also inter-cut with various textured ribbons.
The inspiration
She sent me a few reference images of various styles she likes which were a great starting point for the design.
The design
I decided to offer her two options which I thought would work well. The first option would be to leave the skirt intact and add a wrap-over style camisole at the top and an additional under layer lace panel in the same material at the bottom to make the dress full length. This style is less fitted and required less work so was a less expensive option
The second option, was to deconstruct the skirt, use the hip jacquard panel as the top part of a bustier, make wide straps out of new lace that gathers at the top of the bodice, create a middle fitted, drop down waist bodice (without boning) using some of the skirt lace as well as solid panels on the side to match the jacquard. Finally, also add an additional under layer lace panel using new lace to make it full length. My client selected option 2.
The process
Once the design is selected the next step consists in making a muslin toile of the dress or garment using the client’s measurements. We use a muslin to make any fitting adjustments before cutting the actual fabric. I usually do 1 or 2 fittings depending on the complexity of the garment. For this dress, I did 2 fittings since a bustier is more complex.
The next step consisted of finding new fabric that would work well with the existing lace. Because the original skirt was made of many different types and slight colour variations of lace, it was easier to choose textiles that weren’t necessarily identical but that would complement the original design.
I found a beautiful corded lace that was slightly darker but the same hue as the skirt. For the side panels, I found two options that worked well, an ivory satin and a beautiful silk voile. Because of it’s luxurious feel, we decided to go with the silk voile. Since the original skirt has a few types of lace ribbon, I purchased a ribbon that could be appliqued over the bustier.
Once the dress was assembled, we did a final fitting and realized that the under layer, although the concept matched the original skirt, had a bit of a bell shape and didn’t look as nice. We decided to attach the border to the skirt instead so the bottom would have more volume. We also decided to modify the neckline from a to a heart shape so it followed the shape of the appliqué.
The final look
The dress turned out beautifully and my client was overjoyed. I was particularly please with how the straps turned out, by using the new lace trimmed with the thin ribbon I purchased which ties together beautifully with the original skirt.
I love that her mother kept this skirt and we were able to transform it in order to give it a second life. This piece will now become a family heirloom, and perhaps can be worn again by a future generation.
Do you have a special occasion coming up or want to transform a loved piece into something different? Contact me for a free quote.