When I got married, OK, it was 10 years ago and it wasn't for the first or last time, but let's skip over that part. Great wedding though, and my dress has an interesting story. You see, it began life as a brocade formal pants suit, of 1960's vintage. I found it at an antiques show, and while I detest the pants suit in general, I thought it was beautiful and had an attractive neckline. So, with a little help from my mother-in-law, it was turned into a dress (let's just say there was plenty of material in the legs!).
She added a simple tulle train to the back. I took it home, and spent quite a few evenings stitching pretty crystal beads on the brocade at the neck and bust area. It looked very beautiful and expensive, and cost probably $50.00 ($20.00 for the pants suit, $10.00 in tulle, and $20.00 in beads) and I recently saw a dress in a bridal show that looked a great deal like it for around $2800.00. I still have the dress, if not the husband!
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Sonds really neat.... how about a photo... we'd love to see it!
Anita from Montclair, NJ
the ratio between how much it cost you and how much ready-made would have been is really impressive! dying to see it tho -
I'd love to see a photo of the dress - sounds fabulous!
Do you have a photo of the dress you can share. Would love to see it. Thanks!
Yeah! Don't tell us about it without showing it to us!
Hey all,
I said I HAD it, I didn't say I could FIND it...!!! Sorry to be so un-fun, but it's somewhere in storage. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I found another nice pants suit with lots of leg...No more weddings for me, though. I'm worn out...! Seriously, though, a great deal of the expense of designer wedding dresses is the handwork. Pretty much anyone can stitch beads on.
*Buy decent beads. Good crystal is surprisingly cheap, and that way one doesn't look like a Christmas ornament gone awry.
*Try not to stab yourself. It would be a shame to have to try to turn white satin into a print just to cover bloodstains.
*Recycling is good--and if you can right a fashion wrong--more power to you!
Thank you so much for your replies (I didn't expect any to my crazy story), and if I can lay my hands on the garment in question, I'll send a photo.
Hi - interesting and humorous story - but I was disappointed not to see a picture of your dress!
Gina, you sound like "the life of the party" at what ever you do, Maybe you will inspire some young gal to do something like this when they want to have an inexpensive wedding. I have a friend who got married 46 years ago, and said she took off her wedding dress at her mothers, hung is on back of bedroom door, and YES, it is still hanging there.
I remeber those palazzo pants fron the 60s. I actually wore those things! I recycled some of mine for A-line skirts.
Cut the legs off at the crotch and open the inner leg seam. Stitch the two legs together using the former inseam for the side seams. Make a pocket at the top for elastic, then hem the bottom.
I would love to see a picture of this. Sounds quite unique. Mary
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