Lori King came to me with a project that I couldnt refuse. She knew what she wanted and she was going to get it. I like that in a woman.
She wanted to wear something fabulous to the upcoming Edwardian Gorey Ball. She brought me a white acetate wedding dress that was found in a thrift store and a late Victorian jacket that was in fair condition, but the lining was shredding to bits - as they do.
I dyed the dress three times to get the right shade of purple. We knew we wouldnt be able to achieve the goal because of the fiber content, but we tried anyway and came up with a lovely violet. I chopped off the bodice and faced the waist of the skirt. I bustled it slightly and left a pretty little train.
My wonderful assistant, Unsinkable Molly was given the task of tenderly taking out the tattered lining, carefully reinforcing the stressed and frayed parts of the jacket with black lingerie fusing. I prefer using this type of fusing on delicate garments and textiles when I can because it adheres to the fabric quickly and with little effort. It just gives that little extra bit of strength and you cant really tell that its there. Then I copied the jacket and made a purple lining to insert in place of the original. This was a very difficult and delicate task and we spent many hours trying to improve and salvage this piece instead of destroying it. We succeeded.
Molly is reading her fortune......"you will earn much good karma and many future minions by being of service to others now".......
I made Lori a corset of black china brocade with a bee motif. It is a combination of the victorian and 18th century style. I added black beads to the upper arm.
She was stunning. And I made a new friend!
kc.costumecouture@gmail.com
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