My name is Emma and I'm currently working on behalf of ASOS USA. I hope you enjoy my post on vintage dresses and don't forget to take a look at the ASOS website.
How to Create Your Own Vintage Inspired Dress
How to Create Your Own Vintage Inspired Dress
Vintage fashion has soared in popularity over the years as more and more people are investing in vintage classic designs. People now crave individuality and constantly want to create their own original look. So why not try to design your own vintage dress? Not only can you pay homage to your favourite decades, but you also can be sure that nobody else will show up in the same thing. Get creative and design a dress that only you will have. Below are instructions on how to do just this.
Choose an Era
Before you start creating your own vintage masterpiece, you must first select an era to emulate. It's important to have a starting point, as fashion trends in the 1950s were wildly different from those in the 1980s. Research styles from all decades to find out which style you prefer. Look online, in fashion magazines, books and even at old photographs, to find a style that you love.
Select a Shirt
Now that you know exactly what era and design you would like to create your dress around, you can start to gather your materials. Depending on what you want your dress to look like you may need to gather brand new material or recycle material from an old dress. Warning: Only buy new material if you have the ability to sow together an entire new dress! Novices be warned, it is much easier to find a dress that you can re-use and re-design. Look through pattern catalogs, fabric stores, thrift stores and even your own wardrobe to see if you can find that desired pattern that fits in with the vintage decade you have chosen. Think outside the box and get creative. Remember not to overlook dresses with alternative colours or even plain dresses that aren’t necessarily your preference. All material can easily be dyed, bleached or embellished to make them match your vision.
Deconstruct
Your vintage dress now needs to start to take on a shape of its own. The dress you start with does not have to look like the dress you finish with. Therefore firstly you must get the shape you desire. If the dress does not fit you properly then this is the stage to make alterations in size. You can also reshape necklines and waistlines at this point to fit in with the trend of your decade. Also don’t forget about the sleeves of this dress as you can shorten the sleeves or alter their shape. If you have removed any material, don’t waste it think about how you could use this on your dress to create layering or perhaps even a new collar for your dress. Depending on what era you have chosen to imitate, you may want to deconstruct your dress by adding frays, fringes rips or netting under the skirt. Now that your dress has started to take on the shape that you required, this is also the appropriate stage to dye or bleach the dress adjusting the colours to suit your vision.
Embellish
Now you have your perfect fitting dress, you must now build on that idea and embellish. Add accessories and decorations to create the final look you have in mind. You can sew these on by machine or hand, or even use a strong fabric glue. You can add fur trim, sequins, rhinestones, gems and any material that you can think that is appropriate to acquire the dress of your dreams. Use the images you found in your initial research to create designs that reflect your personality and bring out the best of the eras you love.
Choose an Era
Before you start creating your own vintage masterpiece, you must first select an era to emulate. It's important to have a starting point, as fashion trends in the 1950s were wildly different from those in the 1980s. Research styles from all decades to find out which style you prefer. Look online, in fashion magazines, books and even at old photographs, to find a style that you love.
Select a Shirt
Now that you know exactly what era and design you would like to create your dress around, you can start to gather your materials. Depending on what you want your dress to look like you may need to gather brand new material or recycle material from an old dress. Warning: Only buy new material if you have the ability to sow together an entire new dress! Novices be warned, it is much easier to find a dress that you can re-use and re-design. Look through pattern catalogs, fabric stores, thrift stores and even your own wardrobe to see if you can find that desired pattern that fits in with the vintage decade you have chosen. Think outside the box and get creative. Remember not to overlook dresses with alternative colours or even plain dresses that aren’t necessarily your preference. All material can easily be dyed, bleached or embellished to make them match your vision.
Deconstruct
Your vintage dress now needs to start to take on a shape of its own. The dress you start with does not have to look like the dress you finish with. Therefore firstly you must get the shape you desire. If the dress does not fit you properly then this is the stage to make alterations in size. You can also reshape necklines and waistlines at this point to fit in with the trend of your decade. Also don’t forget about the sleeves of this dress as you can shorten the sleeves or alter their shape. If you have removed any material, don’t waste it think about how you could use this on your dress to create layering or perhaps even a new collar for your dress. Depending on what era you have chosen to imitate, you may want to deconstruct your dress by adding frays, fringes rips or netting under the skirt. Now that your dress has started to take on the shape that you required, this is also the appropriate stage to dye or bleach the dress adjusting the colours to suit your vision.
Embellish
Now you have your perfect fitting dress, you must now build on that idea and embellish. Add accessories and decorations to create the final look you have in mind. You can sew these on by machine or hand, or even use a strong fabric glue. You can add fur trim, sequins, rhinestones, gems and any material that you can think that is appropriate to acquire the dress of your dreams. Use the images you found in your initial research to create designs that reflect your personality and bring out the best of the eras you love.
Thanks Emma for giving us a fun how to on creating a vintage inspired dress. I know I for one really want to get back into sewing and altering dresses on my own. I have quite a few in my closet that could use a facelift that I would love to get wear out of once again. Not only does it save money, but also you end up with something totally original that no one else has.
See you tomorrow darlings!
Love,
