Thursday, April 19, 2007

A great example of how fabric makes the dress

Carmen Marc Valvo sequined dress, $630, available at Neiman Marcus

I often don't open the daily spam email that I get from Neiman Marcus, but on Wednesday I did and I found this dress which I immediately fell head over heels in love with.


The style is so simple - a halterneck top, a high waistband, and a flowy A-line skirt. Those of us who sew could Frankenstein a few patterns together to get the same look.

What makes this so great though is the sequin fabric for the bodice. It's just the right amount - not so much sequin that you think "red carpet". No, this dress would be perfect for celebrating your birthday, going on a special date, or just about any night out, really.

The bodice on the model is so curvy and I was interested in seeing how it is constructed, so I zoomed in as close as I could, but I could not see any seamlines on the sequin bodice. How is this possible? Are they there, just undetectable with my hazy computer screen? Or is this some kind of amazing stretch sequin fabric that conforms perfectly to the body of the wearer?

The color combination - black, white, & grey - is so elegant and seasonless. And I like the sequin rosettes, though I think the dress would be just as great without them.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is a beautiful dress. I would like to be able to make that, I think i need a bit more practice though.

Anonymous said...

I think the top is sewn like a bathing suit. The fabric is probably rather stretchy and made with some lycra, thus the perfect fit.

The dress is really beautiful and is probably not that difficult to copy.

Great find!

Christina said...

Ah - bathing suit-like structure inside! That makes sense.

Anonymous said...

I've been a lurker and reading your blog a lot lately - I love how we have the same ideas, we both look at designer styles we like and then recreate it! I love this dress and I might add it as my next project

I don't have an identity, but I'm Alexa from NJ.
http://starlit12.livejournal.com
http://roxydoll12.com

Hi :)

Christina said...

Hi Alexa,

If you make this dress, make sure you let me know because I'd love to see it :)

I am looking forward to following your progress through FIT via your blog!