Dress and Jacket for Karen

Cocoa and pink silk ruched dress and peplum jacket by Felicity Westmacott

Karen wanted to look glamorous and sophisticated for her daughter’s wedding day and to show off her new figure, having worked hard?to lose weight.

Her dress and jacket were both made of cafe coloured silk dupion and lined in pale pink satin which was designed to show?in places. The dress had a shaped v-neckline with looped ruching detail over the bust and ruching all down the slim fitting dress.?The skirt flared from mid thigh into a fishtail shape and the pink satin lining was cut longer to peek out of the hem. Chiffon?sleeves, cut full to the elbow and closing with tiny cover button details finished the dress.

The jacket was a simple cut away bolero from the front but graduated in length around to the back where a peplum??detail gave Karen’s outfit more glamour, also revealing more of the lining to echo the skirt.??The long sleeves and peplum back were both finished with cover buttons.

Cocoa and pink silk ruched dress and peplum jacket by Felicity Westmacott

Cocoa and pink silk ruched dress and peplum jacket by Felicity Westmacott

Cocoa and pink silk ruched dress and peplum jacket by Felicity Westmacott: design sketch

Karen had so many ideas about elements she might want included in her dress that we went through several design stages. The final?design, as made, was never actually drawn. It used details from both of the ideas above and combined them to create her perfect dress.

Cocoa and pink silk ruched dress and peplum jacket by Felicity Westmacott: design sketch

In a similar way to the dress, her jacket was gradually simplified and perfected in the design process to perfectly compliment

Making Karen’s dress

Cocoa and pink silk ruched dress and peplum jacket by Felicity Westmacott: toile fittingCocoa and pink silk ruched dress and peplum jacket by Felicity Westmacott: fitting pictureCocoa and pink silk ruched dress and peplum jacket by Felicity Westmacott: fitting pictureCocoa and pink silk ruched dress and peplum jacket by Felicity Westmacott: finished, on the stand

Just as the designs were modified before we began the dress was still changing right up to the last fitting and Karen?changed her mind about the finish at the back of the dress. Originally the dress was to have a silk cowl hanging around a neckline, with an optional chiffon modesty panel which could be poppa-ed in or out depending on the occasion. But after?one fitting Karen decided that simplicity was the key and so the cowl was also made removable, to be poppa-ed back in at the?shoulder if she ever wanted to wear it.

Cocoa and pink silk ruched dress and peplum jacket by Felicity Westmacott: final fitting

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 wedding dressmaker, one of my favourite things to do is add colour to my designs. Whether making the dress from scratch, or dying an already bought dress, the colours a bride chooses tell me a lot about who they are as a person. 

The most common colours I get for dip dye overskirts and wedding dresses are blues. Followed by purples and pinks. I love getting green commissions, although they happen a lot less often.

Tell me if you think your colour choice is true to you?

~
#weddingdress #colourfulweddingdress #dopaminedressing #uniqueweddingdress #uniquebride #altbride #alternativebride #alternativeweddingdress #ukweddingdress #surrey #dorking #bespokeweddingdress #customweddingdress
One final little sneak peek before I show the fabulous photos from this fabulous day!

1 sewing machine
2 bride outfits
3 bridesmaid dresses
21 talented wedding suppliers
and lots of stage smoke!

Make sure you're following me to see what I'm so excited to share. Photos coming this weekend!

~
Dresses @felicitywestmacott
Photography @jessicajillphoto
Video/content @weddingstorytellerco
Venues @theoldtimberstore_se1 @malt.maltby
Florals @jemimainthewoods
Event Equipment Hire @cohire
Bride Models @michele_and_graziella
Bridesmaid models @Lisaeggy3 @Boobzylou @oleksanacoaching
Choreography @oleksanacoaching
Hair and Make-up lead @melindabridal @melinda_grant
Hair and Make-up @beccibrushes

Celebrant dave_the_celebrant
Guitar @shanetheojoseph
Stationery @theinkmoth
Jewellery @CatherineMarche
Cake @gwynethjohnsoncakedesign
Neon Sign @thisisasignuk
Headdress @Creationsbylivfree
Millinery @beverleyedmondsonmillinery
Shoes @shoesbylarisa
Confetti @proper.confetti

#bespokeweddingdress #weddingshoot #weddingdress #ukwedding #ukbride #ukweddingsupplier #londonwedding
“My detachable skirt was the best. So many people were very impressed with your work. Thank you so very much, I LOVE MY SKIRT!”⁠
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For real bride Christina, I created one of my iconic dip dye overskirts. Christina went for a beautiful monochromatic ombre, going from bright sky blue, all the way down to a deep, rich navy.⁠
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Whether it's matching your bouquet, your groom's pocket square or your bridesmaids, having an overskirt really helps tie the colour palette of wedding together.⁠
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If you want to add some colour to your wedding, but don't quite feel brave enough to dye directly onto your wedding dress, then a dip dye overskirt is the perfect solution. Have a look at my Etsy (link in the bio) to find out more.⁠
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What colours would you pick?
Sometimes dressmaking lingo can feel a bit overwhelming, so I like to spend time breaking down various elements of a wedding dress I've made in... Anatomy of a Dress!⁠
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▫️for the fabric I used a beautiful, ivory floral lace (layered on top of silk dupion)⁠
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▫️the back of dress has a keyhole opening, secured with covered buttons at the top⁠
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▫️the corset bodice is fully boned with visible boning channels⁠
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▫️the dress fastens with a lace-up back, with ribbon and eyelets, and a modesty panel behind (so no skin shows through beneath the lacing)⁠
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▫️the skirt is cut straight with a very slight flare near the hem and scalloped edging used all around, including onto the small train⁠
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Did you find this little breakdown helpful? Hopefully it means that when it comes to your bridal outfit, you have a better idea of how to talk about what you want 🥰⁠
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If you want to see what this dress looked like on the day of the wedding, have a look at this week's earlier post.
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