This version of the Requiem dress was made last minute for the Return of the One Party in LA in February 2004.  As with most things I make for myself at the last minute, I took lots of short cuts.  Rest assured that projects for paying clients suffer no such indignities!

The material for the underdress is actually a pale lavender sheer curtain from Linens N Things. The ‘embroidery’ is some kind of puff paint, and is 3-dimensional on both sides of the fabric.  Because it was so sheer, I backed it with a slate blue cotton I had on hand and the resulting layered color perfectly matches the velvet of the overdress.  The sleeve trim was purchased for $2 a package at the FIDM store in LA.  I used large rectangular pieces of a sheer pale, pale purple fabric for the lower sleeves.  The neckline trim was the priciest piece on the dress, a delicate blue/crystal trim found at a local high end fabric store.

The overdress is made from a beautiful stretch velvet that has hints of maroon, blue and purple, depending on the light.  I trimmed the neckline with two rows of cheapo silver trim from JoAnn Fabrics – the last few inches sewn on as my husband showered before the party!  I was in such a hurry that I left all cut edges of the overdress unfinished, but it being stretch velvet there’s no worry about frayed edges, and I still haven’t gone back to finish it.

Since I knew I’d be wearing the dress at a crowded party, I didn’t make the overdress too long or the train very extensive.  For your custom version, you can specify exactly how impractical you’d like to be!

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