Heirloom Linen Dress
A wedding-guest dress developed for my mother from hand-dyed linen she had saved for years.
- Objective
- Create a wedding-guest dress that felt familiar, comfortable and appropriate for the saved fabric.
- My role
- Pattern development, fittings and construction
- Material
- 100% hand-dyed linen
- Outcome
- A made-to-measure A-line dress with a bound neckline, narrowed sleeves and an invisible back zipper.
The development decisions came from listening to the wearer and responding during fittings.
I used a well-loved existing dress as a starting reference, then developed a new A-line silhouette with sleeves. I cut the hand-dyed linen, conducted fittings and revised the pattern in response.
Development and construction
The original collar direction changed once we saw the garment in context.
I replaced the explored stand collar with a clean bound neckline and installed an invisible zipper at center back. I also worked with the placement of the hand-dyed print across the garment.
Neckline: Changed from a stand collar to binding after discussing the first direction with the wearer.
Sleeves: Narrowed them during fittings so they felt more intentional and less baggy.
Armholes: Brought them in after fitting to refine the upper-body shape.
Next revision: Narrow the shoulders slightly if developing the pattern again.
Outcome
A made-to-measure A-line dress with a bound neckline, narrowed sleeves and an invisible back zipper.