Cadbury purple 1950’s bridesmaid’s dresses

coloured net petticoat bridesmaid dress purple silk

Stunning Cadbury purple 1950’s bridesmaid’s dresses with with black sashes and pretty butterfly detail.

The dresses are all simple boned bodices with a ‘ballet pinch’ detail just below the sweetheart neckline. A halterneck is flattering and provided peace of mind to the wearer. The full circle skirts lie over netting skirts in bright contrast colours of turquoise, green and fuchsia. Black silk sashes emphasise tiny waists with pre-tied bows at the back and concealed zip closure.

 before the ceremony bride and purple bridesmaids

cadbury purple silk bridesmaids dresses made to order

Three pretty bridesmaids with their dressmaker in Cadbury purple 1950’s bridesmaid’s dresses

original design sketch bespoke bridesmaids by felicity westmacott

Original Design Sketch

original design sketch bespoke bridesmaids by felicity westmacott
bride and maid of honour modern wedding dress sweetheart neckline ivory silk

With the bride, who also had her dress made by me. See here for more pictures.

butterfly detail maid of honour purple dress

bride and bridesmaids purple wedding scheme

purple bridesmaids dita von teese inspired

halterneck bridesmaid dress bespoke with black sash

Fitting pictures Cadbury purple 1950’s bridesmaid’s dresses

fitting picture and finished dress butterfly bridesmaid

Pictures from a fitting and a finished dress on the stand. Tiny ivory organza butterflies were sewn in different places on each dress so it looked like a flight of the pretty insects had just alighted on the girls. Each butterfly was made of two layers of organza with Swarovski crystals added for a little sparkle.

black silk sash and organza butterfly bespoke dress

Detail of the butterflies on one dress.

The butterflies were sewn on in a different pattern to each dress, to look as though a flock had just alighted on the girls!

goth bridesmaid dress sweetheart neckline

The coloured petticoats looked fabulous as they peeked out when the girls danced, sat down or walked around. Karen’s wedding took place at the beautiful Coltsford Mill in surrey.

To see more purple bridesmaids dresses made by me head over to this post

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Felicity Westmacott

I write about all aspects of weddings, dressmaking, fashion history, and the human relation to clothing. I welcome comments and debate.

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As a seamstress there are certain things that give me the ick. Usually they're pretty specific and unless you're also a dressmaker it might be something you're completely unaware of.

I've always had a ‘thing’ about language generally. I find it really interesting. I've noticed how strong a reaction I can have to people using language differently to what I’m used to. And when I notice that I often go on a bit of a deep dive to understand where that difference stems from. I think coming from a historical costuming background also means I love to know the history of things (and despite my instinctive language-conservative leanings, I do actively work on being accepting and open minded, trying celebrate the differences).

That said, please don’t say your dress has a trail!

Snails have trails - dresses have trains! 🐌
I found this sheet music in my house, and I was so surprised by what it was 🎹🎵

There’s a music stand in my childhood home, and when I was having a look, I found this: “Three Songs composed by Ethel M. Lightfoot”. And my curiosity was peaked. So I sat down at the piano.

When it comes to reading music, I can play piano and sing a little. Nothing outstanding but enough that I could put the music in front of me and have a go at playing it. And I was surprised to discover that I found it was really easy to sightread and sing. Ethel liked the same key signatures, melodies and intervals as me. The things I wrote in my teens (usually quite a bit more angsty) were really similar in terms of structure. Her themes were different, of course, like “Cradle Song”, where a mother sings to her child about their father being away at war.

Ethel, as it turns out, is my great grandmother. Ethel was a musician, and it was so wonderful to find some of her published work, play it and somehow feel connected to her through our similarities. Somewhere in my blood is Ethel’s love for music, and it was so special to find her sheet music flowing so easily from my fingertips.

I love learning about history generally, but there’s something extra special about learning about your own personal history 💜

Is there something from your family history that you’re particularly proud of?
With leaves starting to change to colour, my thoughts have turned to autumn. So I'm sharing my process for this autumn inspired dip dye wedding outfit;
🍁 deciding I wanted to layer a dip dye overskirt on top of the bridal playsuit
🍁choosing lots of warm, rich colours that make me think of autumn leaves carpeting a forest floor
🍁 cutting the tulle of the skirt to the right length 
🍁 gradually blending each layer of colour, using an ombre of yellow, orange, brown and just a little bit of gold at the end
…and then the finished product!

Doesn't this bridal outfit look right at some in the woods?

If you love the idea of an overskirt for your wedding dress, drop me a DM and let’s talk colour palettes!

~
Photographer: @charlymaephotography
emailme@felicitywestmacott.co.ukTEL 07762 543230TOUCHGet in
from design to completionbespoke wedding dressesFelicity Westmacott
Dorking, RH4 1RT241 High Street• Visit the Studio •
Dorking, RH4 1RT241 High Street• Visit the Studio •
emailme@felicitywestmacott.co.ukTEL 07762 543230TOUCHGet in