Inside the Making of a Gown – Page 2

January 29, 2014December 5, 2018

Inside the Making of a Gown (M. Powell)

GUEST BLOG: Gown designer, Ashley Renee Tribble with Marissa Powell

Some designs come to me once I meet a girl, some are inspired from dresses past, and some truly come in dreams. The dress that Marissa Powell wore for Miss USA 2013, came to me in a dream...but almost 2 years ago!

The dress came to me in black, fading to turquoise blue, intended for a blonde. But for one reason or another I waited on it.

I sketched it a few different times, coming up with the same thing every time, but when I colored it...nothing looked good but white.

I started looking at different colors of sequins. The color I kept being drawn to was a pinkish, clear AB color, that made me sure that I would keep the color as white.

I knew the stripes were going to be satin, but I loved the idea of varying texture.

So altering the satin, sequins, mesh over and over in varying sizes felt organic. The hem was done out of a 5 inch horse hair completely covered in sequins.

Adding horse hair to the hem really allows the skirt to stay out, but also keeps it from going in between the girls legs.

I knew the gown needed a final touch, crystals! I wanted the bust line to be encrusted in Swarovski AB stones, all different sizes and shapes. I wanted the 'icing on the cake'. I know this design is one of my busier ones, but when it's on Marissa you can't not look at her face. The gown never detracted attention from her, it simply accented her.

I have been fortunate enough for these past years of designing to use Sherri Hill's factory to have my gowns produced, who has been my mentor since the first day I opened Sassy Chic Boutique, so I knew after I sent in my sketch, I would get exactly what I dreamed of.

When the gown arrived, I ripped open the box and knew right then and there that gown NEEDED to be on the Miss USA stage!

I brought it with me to a Sassy Chic Boutique trunk show in St. Louis and posted a picture the night before, the gown received a lot of attention, many girls calling dibs on it for their next dress.

But for some reason I was hesitant for people to try it on, I wanted it to be on 'THE' girl!

When Britt Boyse, director of Miss Utah USA pageant, called and asked if I could mail her the gown to try as an option for Marissa, I knew that she was it!

Through pictures, texts and emails we figured out that a new one needed to be made, it needed to fit her perfect.

So with some adjustments to the measurements, a new one was produced.

Marissa's gown was sponsored by Ypsilon Dresses, so we sent it to there to finally see it on her. The gown was too long, so instead of hemming it from the bottom, the seamstress took it up from the skirt.

If you compare the sketch to the finished product, you can see Marissa's is more of a mini skirt.

"When I finally got the dress and put it on, I was THRILLED to say the least. The designer helped me put together the perfect amount of sparkle on the dress to compliment the white gown. My dress was interesting because you could see my legs through the material which I liked, because it was different. I felt like a million dollars walking out on the USA stage in my gown. I have never felt so beautiful in my life! I was so grateful to my designer, Ashley, for helping me create my dream gown and for making it come to life more beautifully than I ever expected!

Most importantly, I wanted to remember my friends, family, and state that had helped me along the journey to Miss USA, so before I left, I sewed into the top part of my dress some of the crystals from my state gown. Every time I got nervous I would look down and remember who I was representing on that stage and all of the people who had helped me along my journey — it filled my heart! Some my most life changing moments happened in that dress, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!”
-Marissa Powell, Miss Utah USA 2013

From the moment I met Marissa I knew she could capture the crown of Miss USA, not just because of her beauty, but because she already was Miss USA, I believe it's a state of mind, not a title.

When she was called into the Top 5 I cried, seriously...I was holding my business partner's hand so hard. I was getting tons of texts from my husband, family, friends, and clients. All while looking for Britt's red hair in the sea of fans...I thought to myself she's winning! We all know it turned out a different way, and Marissa's character is why I feel lucky she chose my design.

None of it would even have happened with out the trusting friendship/relationship of Britt Boyse. I hope in the future to design many more gowns for many fabulous women, but I know this gown will forever be in a special place in my heart. I know my future is endless and as long as I care about each girl and design as if it was my own competition gown, I will lead into a path of happiness and success.

(Photos courtesy of Miss Universe Organization, and Ashley Renee Tribble)

December 19, 2013December 5, 2018

Inside the Making of a Gown (J. Wilkins)

GUEST BLOG: Gown designer, Randall Smith of RKS Couture with Jazz Wilkins

The “Jazz” was a dress that was aligned with the stars. When I first began to train Jazz for Miss Georgia USA, I sent her on a mission to find pageant dresses that she connected with. Usually most newcomers to pageants have a different view of the way they would like to be styled or their individual pageant style. History has proven that usually the two various styles don’t always align.

scaled.Georgia_t653x653 — Miss Georgia USA 2011's long sleeve black gown.

After carefully reviewing various tear sheets and visiting local boutiques, Jazz and I came to realize that she was too tall for many rack dresses and once we added a six inch heel, there was no way she could wear a ready-to-wear garment. Jazz fell in love with a long sleeve black dress that was worn by the current (at the time) Miss Georgia USA 2011 - Kaylin Reque, when she was crowned at the state pageant. Jazz wanted sleek and simple with very little beading. She wanted her style to be very simple and did not want to resemble “A Pageant Girl”.

sketchjazz — Randall Smith's sketch of Jazz Wilkin's gown.

At that time, I had to go to work and began to be creative to satisfy my first time pageant client who didn't want to resemble a pageant girl.

However, I needed to evoke pageantry in the style to make sure that we didn’t eliminate the elements of pageants.

After all, we are competing in a pageant!

Henceforth, the state gown was created. It was a long sleeve plunging “V” simple matte jersey form fitting dress with a high right leg split.

The dress made Jazz feel like a Million Dollars!!

She loved her gown and couldn’t wait to show it off. That was her spark at the state level.

"When I first saw the gown (before Miss Georgia USA 2012), I was nervous as to whether I could pull it off or not! It’s very daring with such a plunging neckline but I got so many compliments on it after the pageant. The long sleeved white gown I wore to Miss USA was actually a modified version of the gown I wore at my state pageant. That gown just worked so well for me the first time that I didn’t want to switch it up too much and go with something completely different, so we added an open back and embellished the V cut in the front."
-Jazz Wilkins

Jazz Back — Back view of Jazz's Miss Georgia USA 2012 gown. Open back with top panel, no embellishment.

Once Jazz was crowned Miss Georgia USA, I asked her what she wanted to wear to USA and she replied “My State Gown”. I responded and said absolutely not. Jazz still being a relative newcomer to pageants needed to go out and explore other designers and styles that might enhance her fashion sense and style.

311026_2295283577964_1464883028_n — Front view of Jazz's Miss Georgia USA 2012 gown. Low cut, V shaped neckline, no embellishment.

After working with various designers and boutiques, Jazz was adamant about wearing long sleeves and having a low back to Miss USA. She loved the idea of looking sleek and couture.

This is where the magic began. Two weeks before Miss USA, I began to construct the Magically Jasmyn gown. She wanted sleeves and a low back and I wanted it to be sexy, sleek and regal.

Jazz was the perfect model to design for. She could wear a sack and look amazing. I went to the fabric store and ordered the finest White Matte Jersey with the perfect sheen, weight and texture to secure the flow of the gown.

From the first fitting, Jazz was estatic, delighted and confused because it was so close to Miss USA and her dream gown was being crafted. Now you must know that since we were so close to Miss USA, Jazz already had a gown to wear at Nationals. Once the gown was initially fitted, we made some minor changes from the sketch to ramp up the sexiness and accentuate the low back.

Jazz Gown constructing — Constructing Jazz's gown for Miss USA 2012 with lower back. Top panel on back removed

I removed the top panel on the back of the gown that went across the back. This panel is typically used to secure the garment on the body. I had to structurally create support that would continue to support but give us the illusion we desired. I love to be creative with my fits. I truly believe it’s the fit that makes the fashion. I pride myself on having tricks of the trade that allows me to fit a woman’s body to perfection.

Jazz Gown final — Jazz's gown for Miss USA 2012 after stone embellishments.

When the “Jazz” gown was completed, it was taken to the “Stone Guy” to hand stone the gown. The Stone Guy custom stoned the plunging V neckline and the cuffs in crystal and AB stones. He then created hand stoned earrings and stoned shoes to complete the look.

The night before Jazz’s flight to Vegas, I designed and completed Jazz’s Dream RKS COUTURE gown. She wanted to make everyone happy pertaining to the wardrobe choices already in place for Miss USA but knew in her heart that “The Jazz Gown” was the one. Jazz arrived in style at Miss USA and wore the RKS COUTURE gown with style, grace and class the way that the dress was designed for her to wear.

"I just feel like when you find something that works for you stick with it! I felt way more confident wearing it the 2nd time around at Miss USA 2012 than I did at my state pageant…even after the fact that we made it even MORE daring. I just felt like this was kind of my lucky dress since it helped me win my first pageant ever. Granted there are plenty of ‘white long sleeved’ gowns out there by so many designers, but I just felt like I couldn’t go wrong with this one. I even named her ‘old reliable’ LOL!"
-Jazz Wilkins

(Photos courtesy of Miss Universe Organization, Randall Smith, Jazz Wilkins, and Harold's Studios)

December 17, 2013December 5, 2018

Inside the Making of a Gown (B. Young)

GUEST BLOG: Evening gown designer, Alexis Lantz of Alexis Lantz Couture

In the fall of 2011, I was stopped in my tracks by Taylor Swift's Wonderstruck perfume ad that I saw in a department store.

I immediately fell in love with the gown and wanted to make a version of it for my younger sister Brooklynne Young, who would be competing in the Miss Texas Teen USA 2012 pageant the following month.

After tossing around the idea for a few days I concluded that it would be too rushed to try to do the gown with so little time left. Instead, I used the gown as inspiration for my sisters’ opening number dresses.

BrooklynneTeen — Brooklynne Young - Miss Fort Worth Teen USA 2011 wearing her opening number cocktail dress for the Miss Texas Teen USA 2012 pageant. Photo by TexasPageantScene.com

BreAnnaTeen — BreAnna Young - Miss Dallas Teen USA 2011 wearing her opening number cocktail dress for the Miss Texas Teen USA 2012 pageant. Photo by TexasPageantScene.com

The rules for opening number that year were jewel tones with limited to no beading. Because I could not make the dresses stand out with beading, I decided to employ movement and volume instead.

(Tip: I am a firm believer that, for a pageant gown, there needs to be some aspect that catches the eye, be it beading, movement, color, sheen, and/or volume. Care must be taken, however, to not combine too many of those elements into one design. This just ends up looking like a disaster.)

BreAnna Young, Overall Evening Gown Winner at the Miss Texas' Outstanding Teen 2010 pageant

Last year, I decided that I wanted to take the plunge and go all out with Brooklynne’s evening gown for Miss Texas Teen USA 2013. I knew that I wanted to use the same blush pink silk duchess satin for the bodice that I used for my other sister’s evening gown when she competed in the Miss Texas’ Outstanding Teen pageant.

For a gown with this much ruffle and tulle it was important that the pink be just right – not too “little girl pink,” but just enough pink to compliment the romantic softness of the design. I then began searching for the perfect shade of matching blush pink tulle. I searched every tulle supplier in the US and abroad, but every sample was either too pink or too peach. I then decided to make the gown with silk organza, because the fabric supplier for the blush pink silk duchess satin also carried the same color in silk organza.

Unfortunately, the supplier only had 40 yards left, which would not be enough to create the volume that I needed for the skirt.

(Tip: always order more fabric than you think you will need – and then add 10% to that!)

Thus, I decided to incorporate tulle, in a complimentary color, in with the organza. I imagined that a golden champagne tulle would look gorgeous with golden shadow Swarovski crystals around the empire waistline. After testing several different shades of champagne tulle, I concluded that it looked too “dirty” against the beautiful pale blush pink.

I then decided to just use ivory tulle because, mixed in with the organza, it would give a soft, cloud-like effect to the gown. I ended up ordering 75 yards of 54-inch tulle (for the large skirt panels), 400 yards of 12-inch tulle (for the large ruffles), and a whopping 1,150 yards of 6-inch tulle (to be doubled over and sewn into the smallest ruffles).

(Tip: all tulle is not created equal. Some of the cheaper tulles are made overseas, and are not always nylon, even when they claim to be - a lesson I learned the hard way (tip within a tip: if it sounds too cheap/good to be true, it probably is). Look for tulle made in the USA.)

At this point, I felt reasonably sure about the skirt fabrics so I put that aside in favor of beginning the crystal beadwork for the gown. The beading was done on a base of the blush pink silk organza, which was stretched across a large embroidery frame.

I used a mix of Swarovski AB, Clear, and Golden Shadow Chaton Rose Montees (in stone sizes ranging from SS20-40), as well as some large Swarovski cushion and marquis cut accent stones. Some Swarovski Ivory Pearls (4 mm and 8 mm) were added for depth and texture. I loved how the pearls brought an elegance and softness to the gown.

A close-up of the front waistline beading in progress.

After finishing the beadwork, I then happened upon, what appeared to be, the perfect blush peach pink dye that I could use to turn all of the ivory tulle into the perfect pink! I was overjoyed! The first rule of dying fabric is to test, test, and re-test.

(Tip: Different types of dye are used for different fabrics. For example, acid dyes are used for natural fibers (silk and wool) and also work well for nylon. Fiber reactive dyes are used for cotton, rayon, hemp, and linen.)

My first several testers came out way too peach. Remember the color wheel you learned about in grade school? Well, the opposite of warm peach/orangey tones are cool blue tones, and that is what I needed to add to cool down the color.

(Tip: though I usually use professional dye, in a crunch you can combine RIT dye with your acid or fiber reactive dyes because it has a combination of fiber reactive and acid dyes - thus why they call it “all-purpose.”)

I found that when I added a touch of the cool blue tones to the warm blush peach pink it was transformed into that elusive blush peach pink that I had been searching for.

The next step was to gather all 1,150 yards of the 6 inch tulle into ruffles.

(Tip: if you plan to sew something before you dye it, make sure you use the same thread color as the color you want the fabric to end up, because your polyester thread will not take the dye.)

Then, those ruffles were sewn to the 12-inch tulle. At this point it was time to dye the mounds of ruffles (I did not gather the straight side of the 12 inch tulle yet because it would have knotted when dyed). I used a 15-gallon stainless steel pot to do the job because it is important that the fabric have enough space to move freely, otherwise the dye will be absorbed unevenly.

The ruffles were dyed in 25 yard batches and I dyed them progressively lighter in order to achieve an ombre effect to the skirt. Once dyed, the straight side of the 12-inch strips was gathered and, I’ll be honest, my entire workroom looked like a cotton candy factory had exploded!

Now came the fun part – draping the gown.

I had already made the bodice and attached several layers of alternating organza and tulle to the natural waistline.

I used a dress form and begin the process of attaching the ruffles to the longest layer. I started with ruffles that I had left ivory, and attached those around the bottom. I repeated this process as I gradually moved up the gown with progressively darker pink ruffles. I angled the front a bit to achieve a slight asymmetrical effect. An early iteration of the gown had an organza top layer with an organza raw-edged ruffle, but removed it after determining that the tulle was much softer looking.

The finishing touch was to attach the beadwork pieces to the waistline (it was like icing a cake; literally, remember those Barbie cakes? Yeah, I know you were thinking it 😉

I trimmed away the excess organza and carefully hand-tacked the appliques onto the bodice (true confession: I ran out of time and did most of this in the car on the drive to the pageant in Houston – where there is a will there’s a way!).

Photo of the back of the gown as the beadwork was being applied. — Photo of the back of the gown as the beadwork was being applied

In the end I was in love with how it turned out. I knew it was a risk to make such an over-the-top gown, but I believe that pageants should be fun and I like bringing something new to the stage. I had a blast making it and adored watching Brooklynne model it.

I admit, I was slightly worried about whether she would fit on the stage – and she did! (barely).

And for the Despicable Me fans out there… I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that it was SO FLUFFAY!

Here is the final product:

www.AlexisLantz.com

December 15, 2013December 5, 2018

Inside the Making of a Gown (M. McCord)

GUEST BLOG: Mary Margaret McCord with Steven Fields - Gown Designer

Most pageant girls know that the hardest part about preparing for your next pageant is picking out the evening gown. This was my biggest struggle when planning for Miss Alabama USA 2013. After placing first runner up in 2012, I felt like I had a lot of expectations to come back even bigger and better. I had worked with Steven Fields, the owner of J.S. Fields and Company, in 2012 to pick out a dress.

Mary Margaret McCord at the Miss Alabama USA 2012 pageant

The dress I chose to wear for the Miss Alabama USA 2012 pageant was a custom Jovani white jersey gown. It had originally been made for my good friend Keeley Patterson, Miss Mississippi USA 2011, to wear at Miss USA. Instead, she chose a different gown which gave me the opportunity to wear it to Miss Alabama USA 2012. It was a dream dress and I thought it was not possible to find one that beat it.

I had contemplated wearing the white gown again for 2012, but I decided I needed something new. I had experienced disappointment while wearing that gown and I wanted to have a clean state going into Miss AL USA 2013.

MMM Gown6 — Black gown with scalloped neckline

While modeling for Atlanta market in August, Steven came to purchase gowns for his shop. After going to several stores, we went in the Claire’s Collection show room. We spotted a black gown that was very intriguing. I liked the shape and the look of the gown, but I was not in love. Then we discovered a white strapless dress with a scalloped neckline.

I fell in love with the top of the dress but I loved the silhouette of the black dress more. We discussed combining the two dresses with Daniel at Claire’s Collection and he said it would be possible. We made several changes to the black dress and added the neckline of the white dress. The whole process was nerve racking because I was saying yes to a dress that I had never seen before and would not see until 2 weeks before Miss AL USA. Although I am a very visual person, I decided to go out on a whim and purchase the dress.

"In 2011, I had the distinct honor of designing Mary Margaret McCord's dress that aided in her first runner-up placement at Miss Alabama USA. While preparing for 2012's competition, I knew I wanted a gown that would showcase Mary Margaret's amazing body. Mary Margaret, Daniel from Claire's Collection, and I sat down and sketched what we imagined to be her dream gown."
-Steven Fields

The four months before I saw my dress were the longest of my life. I was training and preparing for Miss AL USA while being a full time graduate student and fighting to find hours to study Statistics. Even though I had a million things to think about, I was very anxious and worried about my dress. I would have dreams that the dress came in and was completely different than what we had ordered! The worse dream was that it came in and was a cotton maxi dress! In my dream I even asked my alterations lady if she could put beads on it! I probably had about 5 or 6 nightmares about my dress, not to mention the countless other nightmares I had about showing up to Miss AL USA unprepared.

Close up beadwork bustline — Close up beadwork - neckline

On November 19, which was 18 days before Miss AL USA, Keeley and I made the four hour drive to Nashville to see my dress. I wasted no time and tried on the dress the moment I got to Steven’s shop.

The second I saw the dress on, I fell in love.

It was everything I wanted in a dress. It was edgy, form fitted, not overly beaded, and classic.

My worries about beading my white dress quickly went away. It was my dream dress.

I felt like a Bond girl when I had on the dress, so I secretly named it the James Bond dress.

To push the time limit even more, I had to get it hemmed so I did not receive the dress until December 2, which was 5 days before Miss AL USA!

"We went from 2011's classic, yet sexy, white gown to a show-stopping black gown. I feel the styling along with the choice of black hit all the categories we needed to perfect. The black liquid bead gown with a portrait neckline and chiffon detailing hugged Mary-Margaret's curves in all the right places, while the high slit was a perfect balance of class and sex appeal, allowing her rocking legs to be front and center in the spotlight."
-Steven Fields

The moment I stepped onto the Miss AL USA stage in my gown, I felt at ease. I had zero doubts about my gown and knew this was my time to shine.

Although the swimsuit competition is usually my favorite part, this year my dress made the evening gown competition my favorite. After three years of competing in Miss AL USA, my perseverance finally paid off and I was able to win the title in my dream dress.

Most pageant people will tell you that a dress cannot win the pageant for you and I completely agree; however, I think a dress can lose it for you. You have to feel like you are already the titleholder in the dress in order for you to truly show the judges that you deserve the crown.

My dress made me feel 100% confident in my ability to win Miss AL USA and luckily the judges recognized that and made the decision to crown me as Miss Alabama USA 2013, and for that I am ever grateful.

-Mary Margaret McCord - Miss Alabama USA 2013