Monet Dress- Theater Jury

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Winter theater technical jury, costume construction. A dress based off of Claude Monet's "Bridge Over Water Lilies". 
Suede, lace and paint.
All materials used for this dress were supplied by the school costume shop.
My rendering which i presented during my jury
My rendering which i presented during my jury
Notes I took in my jury binder. Ideas following the inspiration of the painting
Notes I took in my jury binder. Ideas following the inspiration of the painting
1930s gowns I drew inspiration from, since Claude Monet's Bridge Over Water Lilies was painted in the 1930s
1930s gowns I drew inspiration from, since Claude Monet's Bridge Over Water Lilies was painted in the 1930s
1. For the dress I chose a green suede that matched the hue of the painting, Bridge Over Water Lilies. I first created the bodice by selecting a pattern for a strapless top that fastened at the front of the bodice. This dress is composed of two pieces, so I used a separate pattern for the skirt. To create the top, I measured the inner lining to the fit of the mannequin I would use for my jury and pinned it to the form. Then creating the outer lining, I cut another bodice with 1/2 inch of the inner lining. Because this bodice would fasten at the front, I selected ribbon that was a similar colour to the palette of the painting. I sewed the outer and inner linings together and hemmed the front, stitching the ribbon the the ends of the fabric where I marked where the clasps would go to fit the mannequin properly.
1. For the dress I chose a green suede that matched the hue of the painting, Bridge Over Water Lilies. I first created the bodice by selecting a pattern for a strapless top that fastened at the front of the bodice. This dress is composed of two pieces, so I used a separate pattern for the skirt. To create the top, I measured the inner lining to the fit of the mannequin I would use for my jury and pinned it to the form. Then creating the outer lining, I cut another bodice with 1/2 inch of the inner lining. Because this bodice would fasten at the front, I selected ribbon that was a similar colour to the palette of the painting. I sewed the outer and inner linings together and hemmed the front, stitching the ribbon the the ends of the fabric where I marked where the clasps would go to fit the mannequin properly.
2. After sewing the clasps behind the edges of the hemmed fabric to fasten the bodice, I began working on the skirt. I first measured the waistbinding so I could cut the curve of the skirt's wasit to the proper length. When I had cut the shape of the skirt, I hemmed the unfinished edge and pinned the skirt's waist to the binding. I sewed the inner lining of the waist binding and the skirt and added clasps to the side of the skirt. (The lace front of the bodice was removed as I changed the design.))
2. After sewing the clasps behind the edges of the hemmed fabric to fasten the bodice, I began working on the skirt. I first measured the waistbinding so I could cut the curve of the skirt's wasit to the proper length. When I had cut the shape of the skirt, I hemmed the unfinished edge and pinned the skirt's waist to the binding. I sewed the inner lining of the waist binding and the skirt and added clasps to the side of the skirt. (The lace front of the bodice was removed as I changed the design.))
3. To imitate the lilies on the water in Monet's painting, I hand sewed lace appliques across the skirt. Before sewing I carefully painted each lace piece a light green and added pink specks as the flowers. Originally in my design I intended to paint directly onto the suede with blurred colours, but the amount of fabric paint was unreasonable. The lace added texture and still used paint on the dress, making it even closer to its painting inspiration. On the waist I painted the lines of the bridge, connecting the form of the painting to the dress. The bridge goes over the water lilies as in the painting and separates the top of the composition from the bottom.
3. To imitate the lilies on the water in Monet's painting, I hand sewed lace appliques across the skirt. Before sewing I carefully painted each lace piece a light green and added pink specks as the flowers. Originally in my design I intended to paint directly onto the suede with blurred colours, but the amount of fabric paint was unreasonable. The lace added texture and still used paint on the dress, making it even closer to its painting inspiration. On the waist I painted the lines of the bridge, connecting the form of the painting to the dress. The bridge goes over the water lilies as in the painting and separates the top of the composition from the bottom.
4. To mimic the willow tree in Monet's painting I sewed green tassels across the top of the bodice. This covered up the ribbon and fastenings at the front of the top as well as adding an overall deeper splash of colour to the dress.
4. To mimic the willow tree in Monet's painting I sewed green tassels across the top of the bodice. This covered up the ribbon and fastenings at the front of the top as well as adding an overall deeper splash of colour to the dress.
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