Green Velvet Dress and Silk Wrap for Susan

mother and daughter on her wedding day bespoke mother of the bride dress forest green velvet with sleeves
Susan asked me to make her this classic dress in stunning forest green velvet. The dramatic plunge back and colourful embellishment contrasts with the understated and simple elegance of the front.

Official photographs by Feather & Birch Photography

The dress was cut princess line, knee length with boat neckline at the front. Susan opted for bloused sleeves in silk chiffon that finished in a narrow velvet cuff, with diamante button detail. The same chiffon was used for a draped cowl down the very low open back. Swarovski stones in jewel colours were hand sewn to the bottom of the cowl.

Susan also had a wrap made in matching velvet with a contrast gold silk collar and lining.

mother bride and friends, elegant dress with sleeves for special occasions and wedding special advice moment, low plunge back mother of the groom dress made to measureoriginal design sketch by Felicity Westmacott, made to measure bespoke dress

Original design sketch, the collar shown was taken out after the toile fitting as Susan preferred a simple neckline.

mother of the bride dancing the night away in cowl back dress made to order green silk velvet and chiffonlow cowl back with diamante detail bespoke dressmaker

bloused silk chiffon sleeves with diamnate button narrow cuffs

Detail of the bloused sleeve and narrow velvet cuff, finished with a diamante button

on the work room table hand beading chunky jewels red cerise pink yellow green

Sewing on all the Swarovski stones ion my work table. At first we were going to have them backed with this gold silk, but Susan later changed her mind and they were sewn direct to the chiffon of the dress.

detail of hand embellishment to cowl back dress jewel bright pink yellow greenpointed back round marquise oval sqaure swarovski diamante sew on stonesdetail of hand beaded embellishment made to order swarovski gemstones diamante fitting picture in finished bespoke mother of the bride dress

Pictures from Susan’s final fitting

fitting picture vintage style collared shawl cape wrap made to measure

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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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It’s the night before you’re wedding day. You have your dream bridal outfit ready to go for the morning. But there are a few things you should do before you go to sleep, to make sure your wedding dress is looking its best for the big day.

First up, make sure to hang your dress up high. A curtain rail or a wardrobe door are good choices. And make sure to hang it in a pet and fiancé secure room.

When unzipping the bag, put your finger behind the zip to stop it catching on any delicate fabric.

Your main priority is to get the train out, so it has time to flatten out overnight. Hang the dress in the bag so it’s facing inwards. Leave the shoulders of the bag on the dress to keep protecting the dress from dust.

You’ll want to lay a clean towel or sheet on the floor to protect the train when you pull it out.

Check to make sure the dress is hanging from its dress loops, not straps or sleeves. This prevents any delicate fabrics being stretched out by the weight of the dress. As you can see from the one I’ve chosen, that’s a lot of (heavy) dress!

On the wedding day, your dress can be taken completely out of the bag. To prep it for the photographer, turn it round so it’s facing the front, and pop any straps or sleeves, back onto the hanger so it looks its best..

And that’s about it. It isn’t very much, but it can make all the difference, and avoids any unwanted wrinkles, especially on your dress’ train.

Let me know if you have any other tips and tricks!

(Shout out to @engaged_bridal_studio for inspiring this post 🙌🏻)

#wedding dress #customwedding dress #weddingdressinspiration #bespokeweddingdress #bridalboutique #surreywedding #sussexwedding #londonwedding #weddingdaytips #weddingdresstips #bridaltips
This wedding dress is inspired by the same era that Titanic and Downton Abbey (well, some of it) are based on; the Edwardian Period.

The corseted bodice fits close to the body, and is made of panels of silk chiffon over luxurious duchess satin. Trimmed with satin ribbon and embellished with hand sewn lace appliqué and tiny glass beads. 

I love the tiered skirt so much. With three layers of gathered chiffon and trimmed with more intricate lace, giving it a perfect vintage feel.

There is something so timeless and elegant about this wedding dress, don’t you think? If you love this design, you can either head to my Etsy shop, or drop me a message if you'd like it made entirely to your measurements and preferences.

#weddingdress #edwardianfashion #edwardianbride #edwardianweddingdress #periodweddingdress #vintageweddingdress #seamstress #bespokeweddingdress #customweddingdress
If you're curious about what I get up to in my breaks at the shop...now you know!

Inspired by @theadhdpersonaltrainer 🥰

#handstand #handstandpractice #upsidedown #handstandprogress #handstandshapes #feetuptrainer
With spring finally appearing, it was time to update my bridal shop display window.
(If you're curious what it was last month, you can look at my previous post...if you're a fan of dip dye, I think you'll really like it)

I wanted to create something that was full of verdant texture. I feel really strongly about single use plastics, so I always try to either re-use elements from previous window displays, or gather things from nature. This time I used a floral garland by @muscariwhites and added dried flowers from the hydrangea bush in my garden, as well as ivy, and anything else I found that I thought would look pretty.

For this display, I featured two dresses. Usually it's three, but when one of them takes up so much space, I had to make sacrifices! I chose the sumptuous pink Evil Queen dress, as well as the lilac dip dye Bridgeton dress. Both of them are historically inspired (the former by Elizabethan fashion and the latter by Regency), but also have fantasy elements to them. Completely my style as a wedding dress designer.

Which dress in this display is your favourite?
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