Sketchy Stories: The Grace of Audrey

When we found out that Kris was getting married and that she needed some help in her preps, I immediately raised my hand and volunteered. And when I asked her where I could help, the first thing she mentioned was her wedding trousseau.

She asked if I could help design her wedding gown. And as a creative person looking for creative things to do, this was an exciting prospect. Long story short, the answer was "heck yeah!"

For people who know my aesthetic (more of just one person, Ate Bullet. Harhar) I'm the type who doesn't like trends. Now, there are a lot of trends in wedding gowns today - the illusion neckline, Lesage embroidery, etc. - and these were the items I struck off my list of design considerations.

Then, the personality of the bride. Kris is very cool and carefree. She's funny, easy breezy, and this innate joie de vivre. She's also someone with a classic sense of style, which is great because we're on the same wavelength.

Those taken into consideration, I imagined her wedding gown as a combination of the classic simplicity of Audry Hepburn and the unabashed femininity of Grace Kelley. And after presenting her with 4 sketches, she eventually went with this:

It's an embroidered lace gown with a mikado silk skirt. The silhouette is a classic mermaid, but the skirt has a full bias cut to make it more circular and voluminous. Since Kris is very slim and petite, this silhouette is perfect for highlighting her assets.

Speaking of slim, during our 2nd fitting, her waistline whittled down to 23 inches! That's supermodel-esque. I thought it would be great to highlight that, so there was a last minute addition of a bejeweled belt.

After the design was completed, it was time to look for the materials. It actually took me a couple of months and several back-and-forths at my fabric haunts before I found the perfect fabrics. I wanted the lace to be dainty yet textured. The appliques had to have that 3D effect. The stones had to be matte and had to blend with the embroidery. And the Swarovski shouldn't be too flashy.

Once everything was gathered, it was off to Joy who made sure that the sketch came to life accurately and as I envisioned it. After about 4 months, the wedding gown was done, and it was just as I saw it in my mind.

Kris was a vision of classic glamour, as well as delicate femininity. Her hairstyle was very apt for the gown since it had that Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelley classicism to it.

It also fit her personality a lot - particularly her joie de vivre. It was something that she radiated with during the entire wedding.

I definitely don't sketch that well and don't do it often. But when you work with friends like Kris and see the result, it makes me both glad and gratified that I do.