My Custom Prusa Dress - The Presentation, and a Bigass Bunch of Pictures

A quick edit (because I couldn't do this until the posts...posted): 

To read about my custom dress in order of when we first started in April 2017, 
start  at #1 here, 
then go to #2 here, 
then go to #3 here, 
then come back to the final post, this post!


Dress Delivery – 8-9-17

Tonight, Chloe dropped the boxes off. Not one, but TWO boxes! L had the guys over for game night, so I slowlllllly…opened each box and photographed everything as I was taking it out and examining it. The first thing was the envelopes, one with the final invoice, which L paid as his birthday present to me, plus a tip, from both of us, so that Chloe could buy herself something that she wouldn’t be able to afford as a student otherwise. In full disclosure (and for my future records), the full cost of the dress came to $1,500 + a $200 tip. Worth every penny!

You'll be famous one day!

 Chloe was wonderful to work with - she's a lovely person inside and out - and this was a truly rewarding collaborative experience.

Lovely presentation!

Because we’re totally counting on Chloe being FAMOUS (I hope she becomes famous and I can loan this to the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art!), she did a letter on her PRUSA stationery, that says,

“Dearest Sheila,

I had such a wonderful time making this custom piece for you. You have been so much fun to work with. Thank you for being the greatest client. I hope you enjoy this piece. I know you will rock the hell out of it.

Chloe Prusa [signed]”

Under the letter and invoice, the first things I saw were the circles of the insides of the bell sleeves – that gorgeous silk brocade! 

From there, I opened the dress out and gasped at the beading and embroidery. She’d cut flowers out of the brocade and appliqued them to the front of the dress, with dozens of little seed beads and larger beads all over the bodice – even the back had this detailing!

There was the little gold plaque (“PRUSA”) on two chains (the peplum has one as well), and even a small leaf added to the inside of the lining as an extra detail. You know I am all about The Detail! Smartly, she’d added a hidden zipper to the bottom of the rear hem to make the slit as large as needed for walking.

In the second box was a tiny bag, made of the same dress fabric and lining, filled with all the notions and beads not used, in case of future repairs. Aw! 

What a thoughtful thing to do!

It's like she knows I'll somehow do something to the dress...

And then there it was, the peplum!

It's very large!

Gorgeous fabric.

Of course, I had to try it on (even though it’s August and I’m sweaty)! We took a few pictures and I put on the Vivienne Westwood Anglomania + Melissa shoes (probably the best shoes I own for this dress…right now!) for a couple of auto-timer pictures. Sorry for cutting your head off, Chloe!

 

Happy designer + happy customer!

A good view of the high-low peplum there.

And there we go! I will probably tidy this 6-page Word document up a bit and post this when L and I are taking time off in October – I totally won’t be able to wait any longer, certainly not till my party in October! [edit: time off is in September!]

"We can take more pictures later!"

 I was so excited, I had to put it on right away and parade around for the (not very) impressed gaming dudes in my living room.

Yes, I am feelin' it!

 I just can't take it all in!

So awesome!

Chloe, thank you so much for this beautiful dress! I love it and will treasure for as long as I live. What a wonderful birthday gift to me...from myself, from L and from you. Thank you.

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Some more pictures below, taken by L in August, and a few more detail pictures by me...

I haven't done my hair for these pictures, but here's a look at the four variations of the sleeves and peplum. L doesn't have a lot of patience (which is why I use a timer on all my blog photos), and it was a bright sunny day. So, your forgiveness for the photo quality - I am not a professional blogger!

 Sleeves on, peplum on. Our driveway rock wall, with reflected light off our building.

I have Major Sleeves!

 I just love the unexpected details of the beading and the contrasting fabric linings. I tied the peplum in a bow at the back for this look.

Looking at our neighbours' cars

 The full sleeve + peplum is a bit much - this is my least favourite of the four different looks I can create from this dress. Although I do still love this, don't get me wrong! Nothing exceeds like excess, ha!

Didn't mean to have a truck in the background...

 I would totally wear all of the pieces like this for a fancy event!

 Hands in pockets, check out that peplum action!

 L and I moved down our driveway, but the shadows mess with the colours.

Bright sunlight is not much better, but at least you can see it all.

 Peplum off (L wore it over one shoulder, what a trooper!). I really like how this looks. This is my favourite look.

 It shows off the beadwork and applique work that Chloe did.

Back upstairs, carefully remove the sleeves...and...

 Peplum back on! This my second favourite look.

 Hands in pockets. The peplum is tied in front this time.

 You are not imagining it - the peplum is lower in the back than the front.

 Easy to take off!

 And there we have the last of four looks: sleeves off, peplum off. This is my 3rd favourite iteration.

The little gold tag is hanging out there - klassy!

 Badass ink and a badass dress!

Thanks to L for taking pictures!

A couple more details shots. When I put the sleeves back on, I realized in a panic that I couldn't tell them apart! I had to go back through my "Yay, I have sleeves!" pictures and look at the inner lining of the bells to figure out which sleeve went on which side!

Sorry, Chloe!

 I had to mark them for future reference.

The beautiful beadwork.

 Crystal beads, more sodalite stone beads, the seed beads and the applique work on the back.

 What a piece of art!

The inside lining (not a visible seam edge anywhere!), and there's another little extra piece of hidden detail - another applique inside to stop the zipper.

This is the detail work on the front.

 So much work! I so appreciate this attention to detail.

A full look at the peplum's inside:

That single yard of the damask went a long way!

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That's it, my friends! I hope you enjoyed the surprise of these posts! I'll be back on Sunday with a wrap-up of my adventures during my blogging time off. See you then! 

My Custom Chloe Prusa Dress - Fripperies and Final Fittings

Shop for Gewgaws and Fripperies – 5-23-17

I met up with Chloe at Bead World in Market Square – kicking myself for not bringing my camera! 

She had a swatch of the blue dress fabric and we were looking for beads to randomly sew on the dress. I mean, not totally random (that would be weird), but when Chloe tried to explain, I said, “This is the part where I trust you. This is the art.” 

I looked at some lovely beads (real stone, sodalite, I believe) that she’d picked out, then we started browsing through the selection. We have a lot of BLUE, so we were thinking of starting to bring in an accent colour. The sodalite beads had a strong creamy, almost a brown accent in them, so when we looked at the blue with browny iridescent glass beads we were both, “YES.” Some more tiny deep indigo seed beads and we were set there. Can’t wait to see what she does with them.

 

These are the sodalite stone beads, used to attach the sleeves to the dress

We went over to Chintz & Co. again to look for a lining fabric, and for an accent fabric (a pattern??) for under the hi-lo detachable peplum (with pockets!). I spotted a gorgeous bronze-y/creamy coffee-ish shiny fabric (ended up being $3.99/meter!) for the lining. It looked beautiful with the beads and the blue dress fabric. 

We did first impressions of the patterned fabrics we thought would work with it, and settled on a rich silk with embroidered flowers and leaves, very Art Nouveau. Much more expensive ($149/meter) but gorgeous and all the beads and colours looked beautiful with it. It’s a mossy green background, and the flowers have the coffeeish/bronze tone, and bits of the dress’s bright blue. So exciting! 

Second Fitting – 6-20-17

So a bit of a delay on things due to Chloe’s sewing machine (both of them!) breaking down, but now she’s back on track and the end is in sight. Time for a fitting!

On the mannequin

The dress is looking amazing – the stone beads are going to be the element functioning like a button for removing the sleeves. She lined the inside of the bell sleeve ruffles with the lovely silk damask that we picked out on our last trip to Chintz, and ooh! The peplum/skirt ruffle is done! 

I am a goofball - but check out that sleeve lining!

Chloe checking the hem

Peplum ON!

It’s got a wonderful swooshy weight to it, and the damask lines it as well. Chloe created a pass-through for the waistband so that it can be tied nice and smoothly in the back. And – love this! – it’s got pockets in it! You know I love my pockets.

OMG, peplum with pockets!

I loved her whiteboard with all the lists of things to do (all neatly ticked off as she works though them) – my little organized heart sings!

She checked the sleeve opening (too tight? Nope) and the hips – we need to loosen those up a bit so that I can do things like, oh…sit down!

She’s getting the zipper in, and working on the finishing details, but it’s getting closer! 

Last Fitting – 7-4-17

Today, I went to Chloe’s for the last fitting of my dress – just futzing with things like making sure I can sit in it and that it’s not too snug (I don’t mind a little snug). We were fast, and Chloe says she’s got a few things (“SECRET”!) to do still, so next time I get it, it will be boxed up. I said last time that I didn’t need a box.

“You’re getting a box!” Chloe shut that down right away, ha ha! She wants to present it to me all nice and special. I love that! No pictures this time, but I’ll be doing lots of them once I get it! 

My Custom Prusa Dress - Fabric and Fittings

Fabric Scouting - 4-10-17

Chloe and I meet up at Chintz & Co. after work today – Chintz (as the locals call it) is one of those stores where you just want to live in it. Filled with home décor, furniture, accessories…it is amazing. So much colour, texture, and all so very very expensive. I’m a bit early so I head upstairs to the fabric section and browse the blues. I’m going with blue. Did I mention that before? Blue.

Walking down to Chintz & Co. after work, through Chinatown - that's the Gate of Harmonious Interest

We chat about the weight, the texture, and I think we found it! It’s very plain, just a solid true blue. It’s a polyester, so could spot wash it without ruining it (says the woman who spills things constantly). It will be a great base colour on me for different shoes, jewelry, all of that. And it’s on sale!

My designer, Chloe Prusa, inside Chintz

I would like this bed made of metal branches, please. Also the bubble light fixture. 

A fabulous fabric department. Chintz is in an old vintage building.

That's my blue, the bright one above the blue/white loopy fabric

From there, we drive over to Fabricland – the materials just look so cheap after seeing all these wonderful fabrics, but it’s a good comparison. We poke around in the buttons and notions. At this point, I’m ready to hand over control. I’m not going to pick out buttons. I trust Chloe to make this work. We don’t stay out for very long, and we’re both feeling very solid about the blue fabric from Chintz.

Next step, she starts drafting the pattern, and figuring out the mechanics. It’ll be about two weeks, and then she’ll start working on the muslin (sort of like a test dress to see how it’s going to work, hang, etc.). 

Measurements – 4-11-17

Oops! We were so caught up in the fabric, Chloe forgot to do my measurements, so there I was in her apartment after work, in my half-slip and cami, getting all the parts of my torso, arms and hips measured. It’s been at least 25 years since I was measured for anything (Janet’s wedding, my maid of honour dress).  It feels weird. I didn’t look at the measurements.

First Fitting – the Muslin – 4-26-17

Popped by Chloe’s after work to do the test run of the muslin (the “make it first, and figure out all the issues” dress, traditionally made of…muslin). Chloe had emailed me a while ago, saying that the fabric we were doing the dress in was cheaper than buying actual muslin, so she bought more and was making the muslin out of the fabric that the dress would be in.

Jess, Chloe's roommate (also a good friend of ours from Floyd's Diner), and Maud, the ancient Chihuahua

First thing I saw (other than Maud, who was quivering with excitement to see me) was the dress on the mannequin. It didn’t hugely look like much, some sewing, some things going on at the shoulders (buttons and loops! Love it!), and a ginormous peplum skirt on top of it. Big bell sleeves (one bigger than the other – yes, I liked the big one better), and oh, that wonderful blue colour!

The first look at it on the mannequin

The fabulous Chloe - "Yes, I made this."

I stripped down to my slip (I wore an outfit I could change out of easily, with foundations that would work under the fabric), and Chloe pinned it on me. Wow, what a great fit! The sleeves were a bit too wide, so she pinned one narrower. We messed around and took some pictures (bad selfies!), then pinned the hem. The peplum is also going shorter so that the proportion will be right. And she’s putting pockets in the peplum! Woo! You know how I feel about pockets.

Maud helps

First try-on!

Mirror shot!

A goofy selfie! Good lord, I have a lot of teeth.

With shoes on, the hem pinned and the peplum on

Hooray for sleeves! Excited!

Chloe trimmed the neckline down as well, and we looked at the button mechanism for the sleeves - very cool – but not black buttons. I prefer them to be in same colour as the dress for versatility. I put my bronze shoes on so that we could get an idea of how it would look. Discussions about linings (yes, to the body of the dress, the inside of the bell of the sleeve and the underside of the peplum), and how the peplum works (a wrap-around piece). Magnifique! I’m so excited!

"I like this lady's stuff."

Maud settled in on top of my coat and bag while all this was going on. And obviously I'm enough of a regular in the building that the fat cat who lives on the same floor came to visit me as I was leaving. He was very cute, rolling around on the floor like a little fluffy ball.

Hello, fat cat.

Second Fitting – the Muslin – 5-16-17

Update: the fat cat is Coco and she is a she. Sorry, Coco.

"Coco forgives the nice lady."

Another quick drop-in to see how things around fitting. It’s weird seeing the dress on the mannequin because although the measurements are mine, the mannequin isn’t shaped like me. “Am I that big?” I wonder, but then when I put the dress on (pinned up the back), it looks like me and phew, now I look like I usually look, like me. Adjustments to the neckline, armholes (not too high or I will pit them!), and then the peplum. It looks a little too long, and I feel like we’re losing the shape of the dress – higher in front? Sure! Will the waistband have a pass-through so that it lays flat? Sure! We can do that.

Chloe has a whiteboard on the wall of Jess’ bedroom (roommate, friend and fellow Floyd’s Diner worker, seen above). Jess is doing a summer co-op term in Vancouver while she studies to be a biochemist. The whiteboard is covered with notes about the dress (in blue ink, of course).

The sleeves have been narrowed, but will still be lined, and the bell cuff is lovely – no ragged edge, though, as Vizzini will lick it to death if he spots a thread. It’s a challenge to him, I think.

Time to go for another road trip – to Bead World! We need to look at buttons, beads, gewgaws, possibly some trim for the edges of the bell sleeves, and also lining options. Next week!

* * *

The next post will be up in a couple of days - stay tuned for the final fittings!