I had a very special client a few months ago that asked for a gown she wanted to wear attending a wedding. She’s a professional volleyball player, so she had a hard time finding a right fit in gowns.
Even though she is very fit and slim, she has a wide shoulder-frame, and her bone structure can look too masculine if she doesn’t go with the right silhouette.
Her requests were as follows:
1. Wants to soften her wide shoulders
2. Wants to look more feminine
3. Wants a smaller waistline
4. Wants to minimize her hip frame
And she had these in her favor:
1: She is tall with long legs
2: She likes her breast cup size
3: She likes her back
So I decided to drape her gown in bias-cut, using a red mid-weight Silk/Viscose Crepe Back Satin for her gown, and decided to use a lighter-version of the fabric for the lining as well.
When we use Bias Cut, especially with a fabric that has a little weight, it gives you a beautiful drape & and
tends to elongate everything. It can stretch on the sides so it sits around the waist perfectly and effortlessly.
I draped her bodice, and I moved the dart to the shoulder of the bodice.
Instead of a closed dart, I left it open like a pleat to give the fullness at the top layer. Do not press the pleat with iron in order to keep the fullness.
I closed the dart on the lining, so it fits tightly around the shoulder.
I added sheer nude-tone tulle to the center front of the bodice, in order to keep her V-neck in check with clean lines. To make sure the tulle doesn’t stretch, place the straight-grain on the width of the V-neck, instead of cross-grain.
The V-lines of the skirt around the waist give the illusion of a smaller waistline, plus if you carry the tip of the triangle on the center-front a little bit above the waistline, it’ll work best.
Soft A-line skirt minimizes the width of the hipline.
Since the skirt was cut on Bias, before I finish the length of the hem, I sew everything together & hang it for at least 24-hours. The next day, I re-trim the hem-line, and then sew a baby hem.
Whenever you are cutting on bias for a skirt or anything that drapes heavily, you should hang the skirt for at least 24-hours before you finish the hemline. This is because some parts of the fabric might stretch at the bottom on the hem.
I kept the back almost bare, but added the sides on the waistline to create another V-shape at the back.
That helps to make her waist look smaller and to pull the waistline in.
I hope this is helpful and/or inspiring.
And I’d gladly answer any questions you might have!
Cheers 🙂