Bespoke – from Dubai to London
The Silk Devore Evening Dress By Coral Turner
One
of the many pleasures of bespoke work for me, are the people I get to meet, in
this case the lovely fashionista Noora, a woman who has a flair for fine
quality fabrics and a discerning eye for fashion. All of which makes couture sewing an absolute
pleasure.
Our
conversation started as it normally does with me wanting to learn about the
client, have they had a bespoke garment made before, what was their experience?
In turn the client learns about my
background and how I work. It was all very animated, as when talking about
fashion, sewing and designing I am in my element, equally Noora’s enthusiasm,
her knowledge of design, fabrics, and attention to detail had me even more
excited about the making of her couture evening dress, which we would discuss
in more detail on arrival in London with her chosen fabric.
At
our consultation meeting Noora bought with her the most gorgeous deep navy blue
silk devore, the burnt-out ornate design harked back to the etchings of the
Victorian era.
Silk Devore Fabric
The toile - long evening dress
We
then moved onto our first fitting, it is at this point where the client can see
how her finished garment will look; the fit of the dress along with comfort is
my number one priority. It’s important
to have ease for movement, that the style lines compliment the wearer in the
words of Madame Vionnet “The dress must
not hang on the body but follow its lines.
It must accompany its wearer, and when a woman smiles the dress must
smile with her” – how true.
Adjustments
are then made on the toile which will then be relayed to the main pattern,
sometimes depending on the adjustments, a second toile is necessary and further
fitting required, but this was not the case.
Toile with required adjustments
Having
transferred all of the changes to the drafted pattern, and pattern pieces I can
now begin the process of cutting out the evening dress in the beautiful silk
devore fabric. Due to the nature of the
fabric having a translucent effect in the burnt out areas it was necessary to
interline the fabric using silk lining, the luxury just goes on and on.
I
learnt that the women of Dubai are considerable connoisseurs’ of bespoke
garments; their individuality is expressed through design, which is the nature
of such work. Whilst the industrial era
of the 1800’s was to the change the landscape of Britain across the board, with
mass production clothing, there would always be those for whom bespoke garments
and the personalisation that is it’s hallmark, being for them the only way to
dress still remains.
Moving
onto the finer detail, the inside of the garment looking as beautiful as the
exterior is always paramount, not only does this add support and structure to a
garment, but for me it is a deep respect for the fabric.
Inside finish of the silk devore dress
It
now remains for a further fitting of the dress, again we look at the fit, we
examine movement, try on with shoes.
Speaking of shoes, Noora had the most divine pair of high-heeled black
suede shoes with a bow, they were so alluring that had it not been for her
dainty small size, and that I personally would have struggled with the height
of the heels, they would have been kidnapped and happily have a home in my
wardrobe, no ransom paid!
Work in
progress: ready for fitting
It’s
also at this stage that we look at the finishing touches, such as buttons, we
chose a diamante flower which captures the light. 
The godet centre back detail,
transforms the column style of the
dress.
With fine couture secrets to
add volume!
Work in progress: one sleeve tacked into place
Back
at my studio, the evening dress now goes through her final paces, all the silk tacking
thread removed on completion, a gentle press, an overall check, it’s at this
stage that I, and the garment I have come to love, get ready to part company
for her new home.
It’s
the day of the final fitting, as I remove the evening dress from her garment
bag, Noora’s face lights up, the gorgeous suede shoes come out again to wink at
me before disappearing under the floor length dress. The diamante buttons are
closed on the cuff, the voluminous sleeve stands proud, the centre back godet
swirls with movement, as Noora walks elegantly across the floor. Noora smiles, I smile, the dress smiles –
it’s time to say goodbye....
