Making the Pheonix ‘Dip-dye’ dress

phoenix dip dye wedding dress made to order

The dip dye dress, called ‘Phoenix’ was first designed and made as a romantic ivory silk and tulle wedding dress for another shoot but was perfect to upcycle as a canvas for the colours of autumn. Sustainability and un-needful waste in the fashion world are causes that run deep in my philosophy so recreating a dress into a new incarnation was not a compromise but part of the basic premise.

As a labour of love I spent 7 hours spraying six colours (with the lace trim carefully masked) to produce the final ‘dip-dye’ effect of the finished article.

The sample dress pictures has now been sold but this dress can be made to order from £2400. Please get in touch to discuss your bespoke requirements.

november wedding fire and rainbow

‘Dip-dye- has been quite a wedding trend (not to mention for hair styles and home furnishings too) in 2016 and 2017. But in fact a true dip-dye is almost impossible on most wedding dresses. Only natural fibres can be dyed and many dresses, even high priced, high quality ones, are made of man-made fabrics. The tulle of this dress is polyester, though the fabric beneath is silk so dying-proper was not an option.

In fact most ‘dip-dye’ or ‘ombre’ wedding dresses have been sprayed, not dyed and so I followed suit. After some careful research (asking people who might know) I opted for a florists spray called ‘Oasis’. The florist working with us on the photoshoot (Michelle Knibbs of Muscari Whites) kindly donated me the spray cans from her stash.

Here is the dress before work began… virgin as from the previous photoshoot and modelled here by yours truly!

Ivory silk and tulle Wedding dress by Felicity Westmacott

Ivory silk and tulle Wedding dress by Felicity Westmacott

Here was the design I had in my head, though some of this didn’t come through in the final look. The other creatives on the team were less keen than I to go all the way with large leaf headdresses and curling ivy tendrils. I love flights of fantasy, but a ‘realistic, if unusual wedding’ look was also part of the premise!

Dress Design by Felicity Westmacott 'Helada'

Below an image of the very famous ‘dip-dyed’ (but actually sprayed) wedding dress that went viral in 2016 and was the starting point for all this work. And some lovely autumn coloured leaves, which I loved as my inspiration palette! The dress below dress goes all through to blue at the hem, but ours was not trying to be a copy, the similarity in colours is only co-incidental as our Autumn theme demanded the yellow, orange and red!

Dip Dye inspiration dress

Dress Colouring: www.taylorannart.com

Photo: www.jamestangphotography.com

real leaves in a graduated circle of colour, red, yellow and orange

…and here I am all set to go with the dress outside on plastic ready for spraying

Ivory silk and tulle Wedding dress by Felicity Westmacott

Ivory silk and tulle Wedding dress by Felicity Westmacott

First I did a spray test on some fabric samples, using the same silk, tulle and lace.

Autumn colours spray lest on fabric

Autumn colours spray lest on fabric

I was very lucky with the weather and able to work all day layering up colour with drying periods in between. I masked the lace trim with tape and set to work.

Ivory silk and tulle Wedding dress by Felicity Westmacott, dip-dye spraying in progress

Layering from below the lace trim I started with two shades of yellow and then orange and the first shade of red.

Ivory silk and tulle Wedding dress by Felicity Westmacott, dip-dye spraying in progress

I worked outwards towards the hem, the bands of colour widening as I came round the back of the train. Three shades of red were graduated into a touch of purple at the very edge, which makes the yellow at the other end of the rainbow really ‘pop’.

Ivory silk and tulle Wedding dress by Felicity Westmacott, dip-dye spraying in progress

I sprayed and sprayed, not just each colour, but also the same colours again as second and third coats, moving the tulle around as I worked to ensure it was coated evenly and without any bare patches.

Dip-dye Ivory silk and tulle Wedding dress by Felicity Westmacott, dip-dye spraying in progress

Once I was finished spraying I removed the tape and decided to add one very light layer of yellow over the lace trim and just above. The effect was very subtle, but just enough that the lace did not seem to harsh and sudden a contrast with the colour below.

Dip-dye Ivory silk and tulle Wedding dress by Felicity Westmacott, dip-dye spraying in progress

The finished dress was not quite as saturated with colour as I would have liked. But I was limited on both time available (with another two dresses still to make for the shoot) and the spray cans ran out! You can see can another coat would have filled those paler areas, but for the shoot we were good to go!

Ivory silk and tulle Wedding dress by Felicity Westmacott: Frost on the leaves photoshoot

For many more images from the official photographer on the photoshoot, and the other dresses I designed see the portfolio entry…

felicitywestmacottcouk.wordpress.com/portfolio/photoshoot-frost-on-the-leaves

ombre bridal gown red yellow orange and ivory train

Photography by Jessica Jill Partridge, Modelled by Keely Simeoni

This dress is available to hire for photoshoots, or to buy for a wedding or as costume. Please contact me direct for rates and terms and conditions, pertaining to purchase and hire.

sleeping princess bride ivy autumn flowersFrost on the leaves photoshoot, can

A shot from behind the scenes creating the image above. So much is in the fantasy!

The plastic cover for the ground in my garden wasn’t perfect but the spray I got on the paving proved very attractive to our photographer who made good use of it in quite a few close up and detail pictures!

gilded bouquet autumn wedding inspiration

with thanks to all the other creatives on the photoshoot team!

Photography: Jessica Jill Partridge,
Dresses made & designed by Felicity Westmacott
Styling by Jessica of www.foxandpartridge.com
Models Katja Cemic, Keely Simeoni and Isabella Crighton
Hair styling by Very Bettie
Make up by www.charlottemuapro.com,
Bespoke Shoes by Marsha Hall
Jewellery by Vicky Forrester
Veil and headpieces by Jen Levet
Floristry by Michelle Knibbs of Muscari Whites
Garden wreath byThe Girl who Gardens

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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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Over Christmas I wanted to make something to combat the darkness of December and add a bit of razzle dazzle to my bridal shop. And so the Poinsettia wedding dress was born!
I love to make dresses for my brides, but once in a while it's very fun to make something from my own imagination and see where I end up. 

The first thing I knew I wanted was sparkle! And lots of it! I wanted to make something dramatic and showstopping. I went with a deep plunging neckline, and a semi-sheer bodice. To compliment the sleek silhouette of the base dress, I also made a big overskirt (removable, of course). But the crowning glory of this dress are these gorgeous oversized flowers! And they match perfectly with the white and silver sequins of the material of the dress and I think they're a stunning feature of the dress.

Although the intention of this dress was to be for a winter bride, I think there's something very Hollywood glam about it. And the fact it's sleeveless means you won't overheat, even in the summer.
What do you think - does this dress suit a winter or a summer vibe?

If you're looking for a bespoke look for your wedding, drop me a DM. I love to create completely unique and beautiful bridal pieces, so let's chat!

#bespokeweddingdress #sparkle #surrey #dorking #weddingdressmaker #seamstress #bridalboutique
As a wedding dress maker, I would say the fitting process is when I need my brides to trust in me the most. It's all well and good showing them beautiful drawings and fabrics, but when it comes to those first fittings, things can look very different to what you imagined. And that's fine!

All art goes through a process, whether it's layering oil paints on a canvas, or refining the clay of a sculpture...but an artist knows, it will all be worth it in the end.

I think the finished result looks absolutely beautiful, and that’s thanks to those fittings, where I could refine, check and double check, and make sure this bride’s dress fitted her perfectly!

If you want to see photos from Laura's wedding day with this dress in action, on a beautiful, snowy day, then have a look at my earlier post.

~
#weddingdress #wedding #bride #bespokeweddingdress #customdress #weddinggown #londonbridaldesigner #surreybridaldesigner #surreydressmaker #londondressmaker
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