Amanda’s vintage organza mermaid wedding dress reconstruction was incredibly fun. What we started with was a 1940s era organza, which is a thin, stiff, transparent fabric. This wedding dress had a square neckline and a lot of other little vintage details that gave its age away. This gown was stunning from the start.
Our bride loved the square neckline so we kept it. She also loved the fitted bodice and skirt but wanted a full dramatic mermaid style, so we made that happen. Follow us on the transformation journey from sketch to reality!
One of the first things we knew was that the bride wanted to go sleeveless. The following step we took was to incorporate new organza material combined with the existing one into cascading ruffles all around the lower portion of the skirt. Every so often, we added in lace as a trim in the ruffles, so it’s seen peeking out every so often between the soft romantic waves of ruffles.
When working with vintage fibers, there’s always a risk of tearing them or damaging them through the process because they’ve broken down over time. There are some limitations to dress reconstructions; in this case, the vintage fabric was old and delicate. It’s also woven fabric, meaning we couldn’t make the mermaid silhouette as fitted as you see nowadays. But that’s OK, we can work with that.
When you choose to reconstruct a family heirloom piece, the importance lies in the sentimental value. Whenever any hiccups come up, we strive to find ways to work around the issue, and make the dress as close to the vision as we can! The transformation really is incredible!
We kept the original lace around the sleeves and bodice of the dress. Next, added some cute little rosettes to the back to hide the bustle points. After, we altered the train.
The wide straps and plunging V-neck line in the back made the bride feel sexy and secure. The minor changes made our bride feel beautiful. Amanda was able to move in the dress, which made it perfect for dancing, and enhanced the overall look of the bountiful ruffles!
Need we say more? This vintage organza mermaid wedding dress reconstruction faced some challenges, but was well worth it with the end result! She looked stunning walking down the aisle on her wedding day!
Interested in having your own heirloom gown redesigned? We’re excited to hear from you & make your vintage reconstruction dreams come true! Reach out to us today!
