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I've got a friend's wedding to attend this weekend and I've been stumped over the recommended dress code of "classy casual"... huh? For guys, this means no tie or jacket required, pretty easy. For girls, I'm not exactly sure what this is. Less than cocktail party and more than sun dress (or maybe not). Due to the word "casual" I'm assuming anything goes but jeans, however I also find that East Coast weddings tend to be more formal than West Coast, and the dress code was on the website but not the invite, so not everyone will follow it... It all comes down to this:

I don't have much of a "going out" or "night life" lately and my vanity demands that I look good but not over or under dressed. Really, my harshest critic is almost always myself.

With this tangled mess of reasoning in mind I decided to do something very nerve wracking: rework a dress that I already like, EEEK! It was tough to make the decision to pull apart a dress I really liked (but couldn't wear for much) and turn it into a skirt that could go with so many things. As I took out the stitches, I worried about whether or not I'd be successful and make it work in time for this weekend, or whether I'd end up ruining one of my favorite new dresses. I'll save you the suspense: IT WORKED! Mind you, I have some editing to do later to make it just right, but for the moment I've got an outfit that is close to perfection. Pictures will come later, but I now have a skirt with tiered champagne chiffon ruffles and a black band at the top with a tuxedo-esque bow in the front. It hits at the true waist and I've got a black shirt and a long strand of fake pearls to finish it off. Very 20's retro, less "cocktails" and more "dinner party".

Well then, I'm off for the weekend. Pictures to come early next week!

Step 1: Done!

Step 1 is done: the practice dress has been "finished", at least as far as getting it to the point of being able to try it on. Yay!

Unfortunately there is a bit more work before I can start adding the chiffon/tulle layer. My inspiration for the top layer is a custom Alexander McQueen wedding dress shown in Vogue back in 2005 and the concept of puffy clouds. Um, we'll see how that goes. For now I need to make the base work. I was afraid the wimpy pseudo corseting on the top wasn't going to be enough, but now I'm pretty sure it'll be good enough (no full/separate corset needed). However the fit is still a bit large, so I need to pull it in a bit and alter the pattern for the real dress. I'd also like to put in a semi-sweetheart neckline and make the back a whole lot poofier (its kind of a sad drape right now).

It definitely feels good to have something that I can try on and have it look almost like a real wedding dress. Sewing the netting really felt like it took forever, and that's even with a ton of shortcuts! Shortcuts include not sewing a small stitch before sewing the basting stitch for gathering (that saved ~32 yards of sewing), tacking separate netting pieces together in three places rather than along the whole length, and using masking tape as a backing for sewing the netting in spots (then ripping it off). Here are all the pieces before coming together:


Milestone 1 down. So much more to go ;-)