I blogged about my fabulous re-interpreted vintage-inspired gown many moons ago, but could only show teaser pictures, since I belong to a select group of people who believe that The Dress shouldn’t be seen until the day itself. 
Well, the day has come & gone, so I feel quite righteous about putting up pictures of the dress & shoes! 
For those of you just joining me on here, let me just fill you in quickly; I love vintage but I’m not built to fit into a gown for a 5’2 willow stem with an 18 inch waist [Note: Vintage clothing is really sized for petite dollies. Must be due to malnutrition from all the wars]. I also didn’t fancy wearing musty-smelling clothing or having to put in the work necessary to make a vintage lace gown wearable. So the solution would be to recreate a vintage-inspired lace gown which could become an heirloom piece in the future.
The key to it is finding the best piece of lace you can afford. I picked a tea-stained Chantilly lace from France, poured through hundreds of pictures of dresses from the annals of the past as well as modern reproductions by designers who excel in working with lace, and chose a design I felt represented me and sort of flattered my body type. So here are the results!
I’m a bit squinty-eyed here, but this is a good shot of the scalloped neckline.
The back of the dress is left bare and unlined on the upper torso so that the delicacy of the lace can be shown the best advantage. Another way to make the lace ‘pop’ would be to use lining that’s just slightly darker or more nude in tone, which is not what I chose to do here.
The view from the front!
The back view.
The train of my dress. Try not to get the front of the dress too long; lace snags easily!
Having my make-up touched up.
I had to make sure that the crystals on my feet were non-catch crystals so that my shoes wouldn’t rip my hem.
Other than the quality of the lace, the workmanship of the gown is pretty important too. I managed to get a good tailor in Singapore who would put up with my micro-management. The gown wasn’t perfect, but I felt beautiful in it, and it was exactly the kind of dress I wanted to be married in.
Wearing a slip-on lace dress like this means your foundation garment is really important, since there wouldn’t be any corsetry under the gown! Remember to wear your foundation garment to the fittings. Unfortunately I was in such a mad rush, we left off the bustier and went completely bare under the dress! (Too many hooks to manage in too short a time.) So this Bridezilla had to remember to suck in most of the morning.
Lastly, the key to creating an heirloom is in how you clean & store it. Make sure you have it professionally cleaned as soon as you possibly can, and then wrap your dress in muslin, put it in the dress-cover, and store it in a dark cool place. DON’T hang it up! Just roll it with cotton sheets and store it in your closet or under the bed. Make sure that you take it out to air every year or so, and then refold it differently so that there won’t be any lines permanently etched in the fold.
And that’s how you create your very own vintage-inspired heirloom lace gown!
gosh i looooooove your vintage wedding dress. Have been searching for a lace wedding dress for myself as well and i have to say yours is exactly what i have in mind. Btw, i’m from Sabah too and getting my dress custom made in KL. If u don’t mind can you tell me your height and weight cos i want to make sure the cutting is suitable for me. I’m hippy too with quite a slim waist (pear shape)..i’m 5’5″ and weighs about 63kg.
Hello do you mind sharing with me where you bought your Chantilly lace from?
Hi Abby,
Not at all, I got it from Royal Fabrics in Arab Street. Good luck!
I absolutely love your dress, it’s very romantic, elegant, and looks beautiful on you!! congrats on your wedding!
Aww…thank you so much! You are so kind. I loved the dress too, felt like “me” in it.
Hi! can you share which tailor you used in singapore? I also want to design/ tailor a lace bridal gown for my wedding next year. Thank you!
Sure Hazel! Here’s the link to my post on the tailor. Good luck!
http://princesspanda.wordpress.com/2009/10/10/my-tailor/
Hi, it’s a really beautiful dress and you looked lovely in it.
I have something similar in mind for my solemnisation, and I was quite lost as I didn’t know where to look. So thank you for sharing this ! If you don’t mind my asking, how much should one budget for a dress like this? Thanks
Hi,
You’re dress is beautiful – it looks perfect on you.
My daughter is getting married in June and loves your dress, did you loosely base this on a pattern?
I’ve been hunting for something just like it but am having a hard time. Any help you can offer is much appreciated.
Pat
Elk Grove Village, IL (USA)
Hi Pat,
Thanks! Appreciate the kind words. If you mean an actual pattern (with measurements and pictures), I don’t have that. Let me share with you my thought process though and hopefully that helps.
I looked at many pictures and also my own body and what would make me feel comfortable. Rule No. 1: Know thyself and thy own body. Rule No. 2: Figure out the kind of wedding, theme, feel, weather, season, etc. because that would influence your choices. Rule No. 3: Research, research, research.
I have always loved antique lace and vintage inspired designs. History is one of my favourite subjects, and classic, retro or vintage pieces that tell a story have always featured in my living room or accessories drawer. I wasn’t crazy about my arms and my shoulders are really broad. I love lace, and a subdued, traditional kind of glamour. I knew I couldn’t do bias cut (my hips are too wide and my silhoutte isn’t sleek enough to carry that off) so a “fit & flare” dress with godets seemed like the best bet. An A-line would have been lovely too, so it was a toss-up. I wanted conservative as it was a Christian wedding, I wanted something I could move around in, and I wanted something different. So I poured through hundreds of pictures of vintage wedding gowns as well as modern offerings by designers that work with lace such as Monique Lhuillier, Romona Keveza, Claire Pettibone, etc.
After you have a clear idea in your head about what suits you and what you like, then off you go looking for the perfect material and tailor to make this a reality. If you’re a dab hand at making dresses yourself, consider doing patterns or a rough sample in muslin first, to avoid expensive mistakes! You could try on an evening gown or sundress in roughly the same style (eg. from the waist down, etc.) and see how you look in a particular style before you commit to it. That would minimize shocks later! It would also help in your pattern-making, if you have another dress, or parts of the dress to use as a “template”.
Good luck! I hope your daughter loves her dress as much as I do mine.
PP