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Organza waterfall fishtail wedding dress

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custom wedding dress alteration restyle new skirt

This is Hannah’s organza waterfall fishtail wedding dress which was a ‘restyle’ rather than made from scratch. She found the almost perfect dress in a bridal boutique but brought it to me to have the skirt changed to the organza waterfall loveliness she craved.

Official photography by Adebayo Deru

Whole circles of crisp pale ivory organza were cut and edged with crinoline ribbon and then sewn to the front. The back is all waterfall spirals with the lace from the bodice above fading into the organza in a peplum style.

organza and crinoline mermaid skirt bespoke made to order
bridal gown restyle organza waterfall skirt and lace applique with low back and train

balogun bespoke waterfall skirt design sketch

Original design sketch for the proposed changes to create the organza waterfall fishtail wedding dress. I always create a sketch for my clients. It’s essential to ensure what we are both expecting from the work matches up!

original fishtail dress before custom alterations

Before: Hannah’s dress ‘before’ with the simpler layered tulle skirt, at her fitting in the bridal boutique where she found the dress. I undertook sizing alterations to the base dress before I started work adding the organza skirt.

waterfall organza skirt with lace applique finished on the stand

After: my work on the dress added drama and texture to the lower skirt. We added 7 large organza waterfall frills, each edged with stiffening ‘horsehair braid’ so they spring out and away. I re appliquéd, by hand, lace taken from the original skirt by hand onto the curls of the new skirt.

Details of the work to the organza waterfall fishtail wedding dress

custom wedding gown backless illusion frill in the mirror
ivory corded lace motif applique detail on bespoke wedding dress
winter white organza fishtail skirt with peplum

The stiff ribbon you can see sewn along the edge of each waterfall section is called ‘horsehair braid’ or crin/crinoline. It provides a clean finish and a light wieght stiffening to the bouncy organza curls. horsehair braid is so called because before the invention of plastics it was actually made from horse hair. The hair was easily harvested when the manes and tales of horses were groomed. Then it was woven in stiff, light weight ribbons for use in dressmaking.

To see another waterfall organza wedding dress, head over to Richelle’s bespoke wedding dress

To find out more about having your wedding dress restyled or altered see my alterations page.

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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! 🐌

2 1
Open post by felicitywestmacott with ID 18080555521985787
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?

8 0
Open post by felicitywestmacott with ID 18076696958118026
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

18 0
Open post by felicitywestmacott with ID 17922309360118326
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