Illusion back lace wedding dress

Backless illusion bespoke lace wedding dress

I made an illusion back lace wedding dress for Helen. The bodice was a traditional sweetheart shape, lightly boned but totally cut away at the back. A simple straight skirt and train balanced the drama of the sheer tulle and lace applique back and sleeves.

Official photography by Alex Tenters Photography

The lace on Helen’s illusion back lace dress was bought as flat fabric but highly worked into with hand applique work. Cutting out extra motifs to apply to the main bodice so the pattern appears to fade down the dress, as well as on the invisible mesh of the sleeves and back. The main bodice and skirt were made of light weight ivory satin which flowed and hung beautifully. The hem edge was trimmed with a pretty scalloped lace edging on the plain tulle of the main skirt.

Original design sketch by Felicity Westmacott

Original design sketch for the illusion back lace wedding dress

perfectly fitted custom wedding dress
Illusion back detail on Helen's dress

Helen wrote: The day was lovely and the dress was a bit hit, thank you so much! I had so many people asking me where I had got it from and saying it was stunning! It really was! My mum and I got it on without any issues on the day and I didn’t want to take it off again!?

vintage style design with floral detail
Summer modern wedding design make to order low back

A wrist loop was provided so that Helen could keep her train off the grass when she wanted to.

Final fitting picture train loop

A hidden ‘something blue’ sewn next the the wrist loop.

Wrist loop and something blue on bespoke wedding dress

Helen was able to dance the night away in this easy to wear and comfortable bespoke wedding dress.

Making Helen’s Illusion back lace wedding dress

Making Helen’s dress included the making of a ‘toile’ or practice run of the dress in cheap fabrics. As you can see this stage is a world away from the finished product, but without it the fit and finish could never be as good.

First fitting in the real fabrics, mostly still plain.

corded lace bodice panel bespoke dressmaker

Working on the lace panels for the bodice.

second fitting picture bespoke lace wedding dress

Here the lace has been tacked to the illusion tulle, to decide on placement but not yet properly sewn down or the excess mesh cut away.

The finished dress shown with the train spread out and hooked up on the bustle button.

All finished and ready to go.

To see more lace wedding dresses you can head to my lace wedding dress page

To see another illusion back lace wedding dress see the dress I made for Ayesha

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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