Gothic Inspired Dress

So, my inspiration for this dress was the alternative clothing market, such as gothic and steampunk.  I like the dark colours and stylisation of the people and the clothes that they wear.

 



The idea was to create a dress of any style and design of our choice and incorporate floristry techniques and knowledge within the design.

I wanted to the dress to show stylisation from oldfashioned bustles and hoop on dresses that were worn in victorian/georgian and edwardian eras, but with a modern twist.

I wanted to intergrate lace and silk in to the design as this can be found in both old fashioned style and the modern gothic clothing. 

The lace gives an accent colour which doesn't get lost in the black base fabric of the dress.

 

 

The main bustle of the dress was created under the tulle wire skirt, with leatherette fabric and was ruched to simulate that effect.

 

 



As can be seen from the picture I accentuated the bustle with Black tie leaves by tearing them into lengths and rolling them and manipulating them to fit the style of the dress.

For the modern twist on the dress I incorporated a technique that is used by renowned floristry designer Gregor Lersch.  Stringing out reel wire and then folding it in on itself creates a long wired frame which can be manipulated and flower material slotted through, which I have done with Calla Lillies with the addition of Black Tie.

The additional flowers apart from the Callas were Carnation Blooms (Antiqua).  I choose these, as the name suggests for old worn look, but also for the longevity of the flower.  I positioned some naturally on the dress but also dipped some in warm wax and fixed them to the dress using buttons and pins (as above).  This was inspired by another popular floristry designer, Pim Van Den Akker.

The pink/purple tones of the flower material along with the green stems of the Calla Lilies, lifts the dress but without detracting from the colour combination and style that I was aiming for.

Finally the odd button here and there to the lace added to the effect incorporating a little bit of the Steampunk style.

I hope you liked viewing the pictures of my design.  Please feel free to comment.  Thank You.