This dress was my first experience with patternmaking and formal apparel construction techniques. I used a silk organza, which is a difficult fabric to work with. It’s sheer, slippery, and unforgiving. Every seam and stitch is visible. There’s a beauty in that though. Before I even knew how to use a serger, I was teaching myself French seams so the inside of the dress would be as clean as the outside. Working with such a delicate fabric made me more aware of the importance of finishing techniques in formalwear.
The design itself is very simple. I didn’t want heavy structure or excessive detail; I wanted the focus to be on lightness and movement. I wanted to make something cloudlike and pure, and the sheerness was part of that vision. Sometimes I even imagined it worn with nothing underneath, just the wearer and that light layer of silk organza.
