Goth Wedding Gown
This project is a custom-designed Goth wedding gown based on photo references and discussion with the client. I modified the inspiration dress design to be more flattering to her figure. She is short-waisted, has a large bust and narrow hips, and her shoulders are quite different in height due to a car accident.
I lowered the waistline a bit and used the vertical striped fabric in the bodice to elongate her torso. The full, gathered skirt (worn over a purchased hoop skirt) and bustle provide the illusion of both hips and a tapered waistline. In addition, the neckline curves at the top of the bodice are very slightly different on each side. This small asymmetry distracts from her uneven shoulders.
The steel-boned, corset-style bodice is made of silk jaquard taffeta and the skirt is hammered acetate taffeta. The bodice can be laced tight enough to smooth her torso and give a defined waistline. One of the detail photos shows the seams inside the bodice hand-tacked to the underlining so they don't shift and disturb the smooth face of the bodice. Another photo shows the custom cording made from bias strips of the striped taffeta that defined both the top and bottom edges of the bodice.
The elbow-length veil and separate sleeves are made from strips of soft nylon tulle sewn together in alternating black and purple stripes. A Victorian butterfly bustle in silk dupioni completed the dress.
In addition to wearing the gown for her wedding, the client wanted to be able to wear it for her live action role-play character, so it was made to last!