Egg yoke yellow number

This was one of my favourite projects so far. I bought this egg yolk yellow ombre chiffon a year ago hoping to use it to make a dress for a client, but instead it ended up transforming into a cocktail dress worn to at least four weddings in 2014.

The lining is a simple polyester and the chiffon was draped and pleated all along the neckline and then hand tacked around the under-bust lines and waist line to create shape.

It is a fun and feminine little dress that made me feel like a pretty girl, accompanied with a halo braid hair style and a short blazer at one of the many weddings (see below).

Irma

Irma was a 2012 Matric ball dress I made for Irma Burger, a matriculant of Stellenbosch High School.

The dress was inspired by the Ellie Saab "Perfume Dress". Soft elegant draping over the hips and waist area, The bodice has scattered pieces of hand sewn lace over the bust and lower back areas. Sheer mesh creates a nude "V" neckline at the front and sheer straps over the shoulders compliment the soft nude feel of the dress.

Pearl glass buttons run down the centre back creating a classic yet modern look to the one toned gown.

A beautiful up-do and natural make-up looks great on a young matriculant for her special dance.

2011 Matric ball Elegance....

 This was an elegant but simple dress I made for the sister of a good friend of mine.

The main fabric is a turquoise taffeta and the top layer is a black netting. The contrast colours beautifully compliment each other and create a subtle shimmer in the background instead of a full blast of colour and shine from the taffeta.

For evening Matric balls, it is best to tone the "shinyness" of a gown down to avoid looking like a glitter ball or disco dancer when standing in the bright flash of the camera.

Little bits of colour also make the dress look more elegant and not too over the top.
A teenager should look elegant in a youthful way with colour and sparkle but bot drown in colour and sparkle like a cheap Barbie doll.

It's all about understated elegance.

  

HANNAH BRIDES&EVENING WEAR

This was the last Matric Dance dress I made in 2011 for Natasha Verity. chiffon crushing. Chiffon crushing: you basically mould the bias grain of the chiffon fabric across the width of the bodice by pleating and gathering the fabric (creating the "crushed" effect), while pinning the folds down in place . Once every pleat or crushed piece is pinned, you pain stakingly stitch the fabric to the bodice with small blind stitches (make sure to use a thimble, or even wrap your poor fingers in layers of masking tape. Just to reduce the pain). The bigger the folds or gathers the less "textured" effect it creates.Here, I have used finer gathers for a more irregular and textured look. Chiffon crushing works well with a pure silk chiffon, but synthetic chiffon can also suffice for the mission.

. The textured fabric manipulation used on the bodice, is called 

A decorative trim has been sewn down by hand to hold some of the crushing down, and finishes off the bodice with an intricate border detail. Plus it adds a bit of "bling".