Rrrrrrruffles have rrrrrrrridges
Ooooooooh, hello. You can all thank Victoria McMillan of Alvina Valenta for the vision of loveliness you see before you. I really love the simplicity of this rum pink silk duchess satin mermaid-style gown with soft pleated ruffles on top and on the bottom. And if rum pink isn’t your thing, you can nab this gorgeous number in ivory, champagne, crème, white, oyster, eggshell, vanilla, and something called dove.
Ah, the new spring 2007 Alvina Valenta gowns. So lovely. If you look at a larger picture, you can see just how sumptuous the silk of the gown is. And I love the way she offers her gowns in so many shades, so you can find the absolutely perfect one that suits you best. I would have loved one of those dresses, except they are out of my price range, and I already have a lovely gown.
Wow.
I think I’m in lurve.
I’m sure this will be well out of my price range when the time eventually comes, but a girl can certainly dream (and drool).
is it just me or does the model look like she has consumption?
{gorgeous dress, I assume dove would be a blue/grey shade)
I try not to look at the models too closely, Dataceptionist. Either they are in desperate need of a burger, half-dead, made up strangely, sporting bird’s nest hair, or sniffing their own pits. And they are always so pale, to boot. If I was doing these shoots, I’d put the gowns on saucy Latina girls sporting some serious junk in the trunk.
I agree with you fully NTB, but then they wouldn’t be able to make so many buttbow dresses.
I personally like my saucy Latinate posterior, so I’m always in a quandry when I think about wedding gowns. I love over the top Victorian style clothing but do I really want a gown that not only hides my own well proportioned butt but also actually makes it even bigger?
Hey, that gives me an idea.
I know you’ve done posts on flattering full figured brides, how about those of us a bit shorter or more bountiful in the bottom then usual? I’d love to know what sort of things “they” (whoever they are) suggest for a figure like mine.
While I love the crisp ruffles (which not only bring balance to the top but should lengthen a figure) and the beautifully structured scalloped hemline, I’m honestly not sure whether my five foot two curvaciously butted self can get away with a fit and flare mermaid dress.
SterlingSpider (lovely name!), my impulse is to say, go for the Victorian gown which is designed with your backside in mind. I actually addressed this on Erin’s blog at DressADay.com; my suggestion regarding Finding a Bodice Pattern to Fit, and I was sending the ladies to trulyvictorian.com:
Really Sneaky Suggestion: Something we’ve yet to address, much, on DaD, is the Specatacular Ethnic Booty. I’m not talking about your ordinary Blessed with Big Backside, of the JLo variety; I’m talking the backside which is entitled to its own zipcode, and the difficulty in fitting it, while sewing, which is not addressed in standard sewing texts. This is the backside which hikes up all skirt hems, and causes jackets to jam at the waistline, because there’s no covering it. The ladies with this type of backside are advised to try TV460 or TV463, which are bodices/jackets designed to go over a prominent rear.
Now, the terrific thing about the patterns at TrulyVictorian.com, is not only do they have bunches of bodice patterns, they also have bunches of skirt patterns. They have skirt patterns for, inter alia, the Early Bustle and the Late Bustle Periods. These skirt patterns are designed to go over a rear which projects. These skirt patterns are designed to go over a rear which projects, and look wonderful. And you’re not stuck with just one look, either. I would suggest a stroll through the Photo Gallery on their website, to get some idea of all the different possibilities and options of dressing the bountiful bottom in a way that celebrates it exuberantly. And don’t think for a moment you can’t wear the styles! Your five foot two inches is absolutely within the parameters of the ladies for whom these dresses were originally designed, bustles with bows, ruffled trains and all.
I happen to think you’d look pretty smokin’ in a fit and flare mermaid dress, but perhaps you’d prefer “strikingly pretty” as opposed to “smokin’ ” as the effect created by your wedding dress!
I would be inclined to put you in TV261 (1885 4-gore underskirt; ruffled bottom, plain back) with TV361 (Butterfly Detachable Train) and the bodice of your choice (perhaps TV463. 1884 French Vest Bodice) to finish it. Fabrics and trims, of course, in whatever pleases you most.
It’s always my own personal inclination to suggest that the ladies who are looking for wedding dresses to flatter their bodies should first look at the dress styles popular when their own body types were in fashion. This is always my first choice, rather than suggesting how the bride can “correct” her figure, so that she can appear to be a different body type. There’s nothing wrong with doing that, of course, but it’s so much more heartening to pick a period when the body one actually has was the preferred choice! To you, SterlingSpider, I would therefore say: Go ye and pick yourself a pretty 1880s bustle dress!
I’m no longer plus-sized (I used to be quite overweight) but I’m still voluptuous, and I’m just a hair under six feet tall. Having spent my entire life squashing myself into clothes that didn’t really fit me very well, I was absolutely thrilled to find out that wedding dresses–ball gowns, specifically–look fabulous on me! I’ve got boobs for the top, a small waist for the middle, and the wide skirts hide my bountiful posterior. My wide hips and ample thighs? You can’t see them! The gown I bought was even the perfect length for me, which I find really funny, as how many other six-foot-tall brides are there? (Obviously, they’re just making it easy for the gown shops to charge for alterations.) I can’t wait for my gown to arrive. It’s a Casablanca, which is an affordable maker of beautiful gowns. (Style 1843, if you care to look it up.) I’m going to have a hard time not wearing it around the apartment before the wedding…
Wow, Pencils! I looooooove the detailing on the skirt of that gown. What a fabulous choice!
And SterlingSpider, I’ll second La BellaDonna when she says smokin’ in a fit and flare mermaid style dress. She’s an uber-smart lady.
Finally, La BellaDonna, you are so right when you say this:
It’s always my own personal inclination to suggest that the ladies who are looking for wedding dresses to flatter their bodies should first look at the dress styles popular when their own body types were in fashion. This is always my first choice, rather than suggesting how the bride can “correct” her figure.
I just wish more people looking for their wedding gowns felt the same way. So many people I know are obsessed with finding a gown that will hide flaws when they should be searching for the gown that will compliment them best.
Actually, Pencils, another piece of advice I give brides is that they should wear their gowns around the house for at least a couple of weekends before the wedding, if at all possible – including undergarments, especially if they differ from the everyday undergarments; including shoes. Obviously, you don’t want to do the dishes, clean the catbox or wash the dog in your beautiful dress, but you do want to get used to moving around comfortably in your dress. You don’t want to be surprised going up and down stairs by putting your foot through the hem. You want to find out before your wedding day that maybe you want to move a couple of buttons over a half-inch so the dress doesn’t pinch you when you sit down. If it’s not feasible to practice wearing the dress, then I strongly encourage spending part of several weekends moving about the house in the the bridal undergarments – it’s better to find out at home that you need another hook and eye on your hoop, or that you should wear the garter belt, with garters for your stockings, because your Thigh Highs do not stay up as advertised; you also want to find out what you can eat while you’re wearing a corset, and how to manouever in the bathroom while laced up.
NtB, you are so right. I wish folks would take a minute to think that maybe the flaws they’re trying so hard to cover up … aren’t flaws at all. It’s something to think about.
Ah, Pencils, it sounds like we could probably share clothes.
I am always delighted when I find a dress that actually suits me better than it does the model in a photo. I recently went to an event in a pleated strapless number with a flower at the waist — the model didn’t quite fill out the top right and the flower looked outsized on her tiny frame, but it was just right for my curvy 5’11″+ self. Slender ladies pull off lots of styles that I never could, so it’s nice to have a moment of glory once in a while!
*grins* Hey La Belladonna, sounds like you’re a lady after my own tastes. I do historical recreation sewing so already have TV 463, but instead chose to pair it with skirt 290. Not to say I’m anywhere near to cutting into it yet as I’m only 3/4 of the way through the 101 bustle with several other projects on my plate. I’m not /quite/ so posteriorly challenged/blessed (when in shape I’d be pretty passable as a J-Lo body double) but because I am quite petit in bone structure I still do tend to have some of the above mentioned fit problems.
My main worry with a fit and flair mermaid style like the above would be the fullness at the very bottom. I’m fairly small on top and to balance out that sort of flounce is going to take a lot of embellishment near my face. I would LOVE to see something like the bottom finish on the alvina valentina gown (I’m really so taken by that scallop/ruffle combo) applied to a late bustle overskirt which was draped more like the TV 225 natural form fantail skirt with that lovely columnar front profile and gathered train.
I tried on that dress before. The bottom was gorgeous, but I wasn’t too crazy about the ruffles at the neckline. I really, really loved the bottom though. Different from everything I’d seen. Oh well. But I ended up buying another dress from Victoria’s new 2007 collection. Can’t wait for it to arrive later this April.
LaBelladonna–well, if you think it’s a good idea, I’ll defintely wear my gown before the wedding! No need to twist my arm… Actually, I had planned to “road test” it before the wedding to make sure that everything worked together, that my shoes didn’t catch on the hem of the skirt, that I could sit down comfortably, etc. However, I can’t really do much walking around in my apartment, as Agatha the Maine Coon will undoubtedly think that a long, wide, glittery skirt is some kind of challenge, or else part of new game I’ve thought up.
And NtB–thank you, I loooove my gown. I even went to visit the sample at the bridal salon yesterday, to study the beading so I could figure out what jewelry and tiara would look best. Planning a wedding is fun! A few years ago, I would have never imagined that I’d be getting married in 2007 in a beaded wedding gown and a tiara!
ahh i tried that dress on too! like jewel, i loved the bottom but wasn’t crazy about the top..it seemed a bit too much…my bridal attendant actually tucked in the ruffle on top and it looked so much better! but regardless the dress is beautiful!!!
Ahhh… belated, but I almost, almost had the dress that was very very close to that one from her spring 2006 collection made for me. I wanted the one with the pleats and lace, but almost the same dress… So gorgeous. I’m a huge huge fan of Alvina Valenta and Jim Hjelm. Their dresses are so classic.
Of course, my dress is a copy of an Alvina Valenta from her fall 06 collection instead. In pink. Even if I’m not really a pink girl, it’s so much better on me than white.
Aaaahhh …. The Amorous Affectionate Adventurous Pet! I should have thought to address this.
Dear ladies, it is important to practice wearing your specialty/special day dresses and underpinnings, so that you’re comfortable and happy on your wedding days. However, as Pencils reminds me, there’s many a pet (including my Domino), who would regard your strange and wonderful garments as an invitation to play – climb, pounce, batter, swing, and otherwise mutilate your unfamiliar splendour – or your exposed flesh, for that matter.
Do consider wearing something over your clothes to protect them! It may mean that you look a little funny in your lace boots with the sweat socks over them, but they will be preserved for The Big Day; ditto with any difficult-to-replace hose – they should be protected by something more durable, whether it’s a robe, or sweatpants, or jeans. As for the gowns themselves, I would actually consider the possibility of buying, or making, a robe big enough to protect the dress. I do understand that that’s not possible for a lot of ladies, which is why I suggest that, if you cannot wear the gown itself – say a big poufy crinoline dress – you should practice moving around in the big poufy crinoline petticoat and the corset – with whatever can be practically managed over them to protect them.
SterlingSpider, as far as the mermaid dress goes, it’s meant to have the majority of the emphasis at the bottom. In truth, it’s only necessary to “balance” it at the top if you’re set on creating an hourglass silhouette. I’ll share a secret with the ladies: Not every shape has to be an hourglass to be attractive. If you are thinking of beading, etc., to reflect light on your face and upper body – that would, I think, be very pretty; but I would be a little dubious if you were thinking about adding much in the way of volume up at the top.