The fashion industry is big on wedding dress creation. Since people get married every week, the bridal sector makes up a large part of the revenue for the industry. For new designers, however, understanding what materials are needed to create stunning wedding dresses can be difficult.
This week, we reviewed a video by Lala of WearLala on how to go fabric shopping for wedding dresses. In it, she explains how to source fabrics for various types of wedding dresses. She also explains which fabric suits what type of wedding dress designs and why. The video aims to inform new fashion designers on the best fabrics to purchase while out bridal shopping.
This video review will cover;
- useful points fashion designers can learn from,
- the relevance of the information provided to fashion designers,
- important points missed out.
Introduction To Fabric Sourcing for Wedding Dresses: How to drape
There are many different types of wedding dress styles. The style you as a fashion designer will sew for your client depends on her preference and budget. This means that you need to know what is required for varying types of wedding dresses. Let’s get started.
1. Ruffle Wedding Dress
Ruffled wedding dresses come in various styles. Its bodice could come as an off-shoulder design or a shouldered one. For this part, you will need a very nice lace fabric that will accentuate the design of the dress.
For the ruffled skirt of the dress, you can use organza or satin. However, it is better to use organza because satin is quite heavy and can weigh the dress down. Organza fabric comes with various levels of thickness, but, usually, it is shiny and silky to the touch.
To create the wavy effect of the ruffles, use crinoline. It comes in various widths and colours. Also, if your dress contains a corset, you will need to purchase bra cups. They also come in different sizes.
2. Ball Gown Wedding Dress
Ball gowns contain several layers of tulle or mesh to give them fullness. To add some detail to a ball gown wedding dress, you can use a very lightweight lace fabric as the final layer to cover up all your tulle. Some people wear petticoats under their ball gown but this is not necessary because the tulle alone can give it all the fullness it needs.
When you want to purchase your tulle fabric, you have to touch it. The high-quality ones are soft to touch and are not made fully of cotton. You also have to make sure it feels bouncy and that the holes in it are almost invisible. This is the best type of tulle to buy.
You also have to make sure that the lace fabric you purchase is not too busy so it does not make the dress look confusing. You also need to work with satin – some are shiny and some dull face. Majorly, satin forms one layer of the ball gown before the tulle and also acts as the lining after the tulle.
One very important material to remember is the hard net. It is very different from tulle as it is very hard and has big holes in it. It is important because it gives your ball gown a stiff look and makes it stand without a petticoat.
3. Mermaid Wedding Dress
As the main fabric for your mermaid wedding dress, you can work with the duchess, crepe, or stretchy spandex. To create the lower part of the dress and the trimmings, you should look out for very nice and soft lace fabrics. The lace fabric you choose should also have very nice designs in it that you can cut out for trimmings for the bodice and neckline.
To give your wedding dress structure, you will need boning. Without the boning, you will not have a proper structure on the upper fitted part of your mermaid dress where you have the loops for your dress tie.
Important Points Missed Out
While lace is a very good option for making the ruffle wedding dress, spandex or satin is also a very good option. You can use it as your go-to option for brides that love simple designs. Since the ruffles also make the dress busy, plain fabrics like spandex and satin can tone it down a bit.
In making the mermaid wedding gown also, lace can serve as a very attractive option as the main fabric for the outfit. Since the mermaid design is very simple, a piece of lace fabric can give it an extra boost and make it stand out.
The Usefulness of the Information to Fashion Designers
This video serves as a beginners guide to the basic materials needed to create 3 popular wedding dress designs. It makes the process of deciding what to buy for wedding dresses easier for fashion designers and also serves as a way to know what fabrics are good for what designs.
Overall, the information provided in this video is useful for fashion designers new to the bridal fashion space. By paying attention to the points above, you can easily identify what you need to make your client’s big day a reality.
