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Thursday, March 21, 2013

MSN Lace Challenge - The Reveal

Here is the original Oscar de la Renta dress...





Here is my version of the dress...



The original dress cost $2,990.00.  The materials for mine cost approximately $350.  This wasn't the cheapest designer interpretation I've made but I think it was worth every penny!

The components ~
Pattern ~
TNT dress pattern

Fabrics ~
2 yards of lightweight wool tweed from Mood
2 yards of guipure lace from Mood
2.5 yards of silk charmeuse from Mood

Notions ~
beige silk organza
22" peach invisible zipper
ltwt. fusible interfacing
1 1/2 yards of lace for lining hem
rayon seam binding 

All of the construction details can be found in these posts.  As I stated previously, this was a very involved sew and actually involved more hand sewing than machine sewing.  However, the journey was worth it.  I've cut out all of the pieces for the jacket that I want to wear with this dress on Easter Sunday.  It will be the perfect compliment to the dress so expect to read more about the jacket's construction.

A few more pics...


Dress with belt - wanted to see if it would work for me!
...mmmmm, no!  *LOL*


At one point during the picture taking we were getting junk...just couldn't get the lace to play well...so we took some up close pictures of different portions of the dress. Here I am in pieces - bodice first, middle of the dress (notice I don't say waistline - hahahaha!) and the skirt and hemline of the dress.





...and a back shot...


For a closing shot, here is picture of the purse and shoes that I will wear with the Easter combo...haven't decided if I will wear a hat or not...




...as always more later!


69 comments:

  1. It's gorgeous! And you do look good in it.
    I actually like it with the belt! But I have to admit that I seldom wear belts myself, lol.

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  2. You look absolutely gorgeous (as always). It is such a wonderful interpretation of the original dress. And so beautifully fitted! There is so much about it that I love. You are inspiring me to attempt something similar (and I won't wear a belt either...)

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  3. Beautiful dress! I like the belt too. I really enjoy your blog and reading about all of your projects. Thank you!

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  4. Oh, wow!! You are so clever. The dress is gorgeous, as are most of your creations, but this interpretation is special. I love it!

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  5. Beautiful work! And a pretty colour.

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  6. Carolyn, it is an amazing dress and you look fabulous. I agree worth every penny.

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  7. Absolutely fabulous and can't wait to see the jacket! Worth all that work, very inspiring.

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  8. Incredible interpretation as I always, dear lady. Beautifully constructed!

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  9. The dress is lovely and so are you. Very well done, Carolyn.

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  10. I love the color of this dress. It's amazing! I also think the contrast between the lace and the tweed make the dress interesting to look at. What a perfect Easter dress. Can't wait to see the jacket.

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  11. Great work, Carolyn. The guipure lace is beautiful and so are you.

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  12. Oh, it's gorgeous! I know the jacket will be awesome, but I almost hope that it gets a whole lot warmer in the next couple of weeks so you won't have to cover this lovely dress to stay warm.

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  13. This is just STUNNING! Carolyn, as always, you are an inspiration.

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  14. Stunning Carolyn! Great example of why you have to sew to have what is truly wonderful and one of a kind.

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  15. Like a lot of others, I like it with the belt. Very nice dress! -Nizzy

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  16. Absolutely gorgeous! You are so fortunate to have access to such wonderful materials.

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  17. Stunning! I look forward to seeing the jacket.

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  18. I don't think the belt is horrible and it might shine when you have the jacket on. So don't throw the idea out completely.

    I do hope this dress gets more exposure than just Easter - it's a wonderful dress and deserves not to be hidden in the closet! g

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  19. WOW! You look STUNNING! That dress is amazing! I am going on the fashion district tour tomorrow with mimi and I have lace on my mind because of your posts. Can't wait to see what I find!

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  20. beautiful you'll be the star of Easter

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  21. Gorgeous... You did an excellent job. You will be so pretty on Easter Sunday... Can't wait to see the jacket.

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  22. All the hours of hand stitching were worth it! The dress is gorgeous!

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  23. Gorgeous! And it's easy to see how much joy and pride it gives you when wearing it, you look stunning!

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  24. It turned out beautiful Carolyn and you look lovely in it. And yes, you MUST wear a hat. :)

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  25. The dress is gorgeous. You look stunning wearing it. I prefer the look without the belt.

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  26. Stunning! Perfect dress for Easter. I hope you get to wear it for many special occasions.

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  27. Beautiful dress and wonderful job as usual. I love your interpretations of the designer's dresses...They always look better and more realistic on a real body after you make them. This is one of my favorites along with the black ponte and faux leather dress. Hate I don't live closer to NYC or else I would be at Mood on Saturday.

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  28. This dress is just beautiful! Perfect for Easter. I actually really like the belt too - it bisects the lace panel in the perfect place. It looks great without though too, of course :)

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  29. Beautiful! I love it even more with the belt.

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  30. Ooh la la, Carolyn! Tres chic! It is the perfect Easter dress!

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  31. Magnificent. I like it best without the belt. Purse and bag - perfect. All you need now is an Easter hat.

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  32. Gorgeous! I'm still working on the Easter dress but our weather is still freezing, not spring like at all - this is just beautiful.

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  33. Gorgeous !!!
    One of your best project IMO.
    Worth every penny and every minute you spent on it.

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  34. A stunning dress and very flattering. Worth all of your effort. Lovely.

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  35. There's a way we stand when we know we look good, and you're a prime example. This dress is a stunner. I love it either way, but beltless is my favorite. I hope you choose to wear a hat--what a way to make an entrance. Have a lovely holiday, and BTW, will you adopt me?

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  36. Carolyn, it's gorgeous, just gorgeous! The color is VERY flattering and you look positively radiant. Tres chic!

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  37. Wow! I am stunned at the results. It's a very beautiful dress.

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  38. You really outdid yourself!!! Great looking dress and so impressed that you did all that hand sewing. You will look fantastic on Easter Sunday! Love your purse and shoes also

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  39. Stunning! Your dress is prettier than the original.

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  40. This is beautiful, Carolyn and a great rendition of the original! What a special Easter dress and I can.'t wait to see the jacket.
    I'm finding with my sewing that it all takes time to build your skills. One day I'm going to be sewing guipure lace too! Thanks for the great post and the inspiration!

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  41. I love the lace tweed combination. It is right on trend and the dress looks fantastic on you.

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  42. The colour is perfect! And what beautiful lace...

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  43. this is officially my most favorite dress you have ever made. Fantastic!

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  44. Gorgeous dress but wow the cost, I wouldn't dare spend that much.

    Your output puts mine to shame and I'm retired. Fantastic, nice shoes as well.

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  45. That is some kind of beautiful. Definately NO belt...distracts from the dress. And you MUST wear a hat. Easter is all about the 'Easter Bonnet' even if the dress will steal the show!

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  46. Stunning! Love your accessories as well. Maybe a different belt? Metallic?

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  47. It's gorgeous and I like it much, much better than the inspiration piece.

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  48. Awesome. I think your lace is a prettier shade of pink than the original too.

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  49. Beautiful woman in a beautiful dress. I love it Carolyn, and am so looking forward to seeing the jacket. You need a wedding to go to!

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  50. I just have to tell you again how much I love this dress! It's so, so fantastic! I'm excited to see the jacket!

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  51. I like it with or without a belt.As another belt option what do you think of a pearl and chain belt?Or would that snag on the lace?

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  52. So sorry the class is cancelled... I was so dexcited to meet you. Maybe sometime in the future.

    GINGER

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  53. What a lovely dress! You look marvelous in it! So very inspiring :)

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  54. Absolutely gorgeous - such a pretty color on you! I love the close ups, especially the last one!

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  55. Thanks so much for the close up shots. What a lovely dress!

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  56. Nossa o seu vestido ficou muito mais elegante e lindo, parabéns.
    Suzy Mendonça-Brasil

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  57. First of all, I just discovered your blog and I think it is fantastic! Second, this dress is just amazing! It is so gorgeous. I just can't get over how lovely it is. However, I did want to say that I think you are mistaken about one thing. I think the belt works wonderfully with the dress on you! It adds just a tiny bit of ssubtle shaping to your silhouette. Both of my daughters are beautiful full figured ladies and so many times I think they have a phobia of belts or any other accessories that Monday accentuate their curves. Curves are not a bad thing! The belt looks wonderful to me! Am I the only 1 who thinksso?

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  58. Another great designer piece that you have made "you". I actually like it with the belt, I wonder if you should try a lighter coloured belt, like the original and see what you think.

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  59. Gorgeous dress! I'm into it with the belt, actually. I think it emphasizes the cool proportions of the lace and tweed. The color is wonderful on you.

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  60. I love it with the belt. I never think of belting, but it just added so much. I need to take lessons on accessorizing.

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  61. Gorgeous dress, it looks beautiful on you! Perfect Easter dress.

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  62. Oh, Carolyn, I am in awe. I am finishing a lined hoodie. Not as impressive as your dress, I can tell you that. Your dress is beautiful.

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