Graduation

Graduation

This dress was made for the purposes of graduating college. It was custom made, and therefore needed multiple fittings to fit the model’s body proportions. Each dress also incorporated the personal styles of the clients. The dress was created with a white fabric, representing a new start as she begins a new chapter in her life. In order to make the dress flow naturally, multiple draping techniques were used. More specifically, there were multiple mock ups created to make a more complete look that suited the model.

Description:

Custom made graduation dresses.

Project Type:

Hand-made clothing

My Role:
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Starting from ideation sketch to draping, then creating mockups and then the final dress.
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Tools:
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Industrial sewing machine, Overlock machine, Hand sewing, Draping techniques, Adobe Illustrator

Client 1

Name: Hannah Kim

Height: 5'5

Desired style: Long, structured, tight fitting
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Ideation:

In order to fulfill the client's wants, the length of the dress was decided to be ankle length. The bodice shape was inspired by 1980s corset, in order to create a tight fit as well as having a cup shape.

Decided to use a mesh material at the bottom of the dress to create a more feminine atmosphere.

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Mock up version 1

- Created the general shape of the dress

- Figured out all the pattern pieces needed to complete the dress

Revisions needed

- Make the cup size smaller

- Take out half an inch on both sides of the waistline

- Take out an inch from the side seam to create a more tight fit on the dress

Mock up version 2

- Made revisions based on the first fitting of the mock up

- Corrected sizing

- Conducted 2nd fitting with the second mock up

- Used a different type of muslin that was more lightweight in order to mimic the real fabric. This allowed the dress to drape more similar to the final product.

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Real Fabric
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Had a third fitting with the dress created out of the real fabric in order to check the sizing.

Zipper
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Decided to add a 16in zipper to the back of the dress as well as a hook and eye at the top to create a clean finish.

The long zipper made it easier to get into the dress.

Circle skirt

Created a mockup of the circle skirt for the bottom of the dress to see how it would drape on the dress.

Used a light muslin material to have a similar weight as the mesh material.

Pinned the circle piece for a day on the dress to create natural folds on the dress.
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Final Product

Front View

Back View

Client 2

Name: Sarah Kim

Height: 5'6

Desired style: A-line skirt, cute style
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Ideation:

The client wanted an A-line skirt and an overall cute image.

Decided to use gathering in the bodice to create fabric manipulation as well as contributing to the overall atmosphere of the dress.

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Mockup

Real Fabric

The bodice and skirt were all made out of the same cotton blend fabric.

Double layered the bottom bodice pattern in order to keep the stiff shape in the middle. A piece of muslin was inserted in the middle.

The pattern pieces were created based on the mockup. The Bodice center front piece has 2 darts to create a curve for the chest.

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Bodice

To create the gathering, the base bodice was created first and then a layer of the mesh material was pinned on top.

The mesh was first hand base stitched and then machine stitched to combined the bottom part of the bodice.

Finishing

Decided to make the straps thick to match the bottom part of the bodice and to balance the overall image.

Double gathered the skirt to create more volume for the A-line skirt. Gathered about 13 inches of fabric.

The bottom finishes were folded and then hand sewn to create a clean line finish.

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Final Product

Front View

Back View

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