What you can do with the hem of a dress!

Calling all LADIES & BRIDESMAIDS.... Add an elegant accessory that you know will be a perfect match to your ensemble....


When you get your special occasion (bridesmaid) dress hemmed, ask the seamstress to save the extra fabric. Why? You ask? Because the possibilities are endless. That extra fabric can be made into accessories that will not only compliment your outfit but also make you elegantly stand out in a crowd. Ladies, that extra hem isn't just for wrapping around the stems of your flower bouquets anymore! Think outside the box...


The possibilities:
A flowered brooch could be worn on your dress; over the heart, on a sash at your waist or even on your clutch(see photo). Adorn those shoes! Shoes clip are always a very chic option!
A sophisticated headpiece or simpler hair accessories are obviously MY favorite option! Depending on how much fabric there is to work with, a large flower can be made and worn in your hair (see photo). If we don't have a lot of fabric to work with then smaller pieces can be made, wear 1, wear 4, (see photo) scattered about your beautiful do!



Lets be real, how many bridesmaids dresses have you ever re-worn? Maybe one, if you're lucky. So with creating an accessory, you can wear it on the special occasion with the original garment and also wear it again with a simple outfit or with another party dress! Something is being created with what would have been thrown in the trash (reuse and recycle!). You'll also have something you may actually wear again!! Even call it a special memento of the day, if you will! ...Because I highly doubt you're throwing on your BM dress again and prancing around the house!



Perfect for: The bride who wants to give something different to her bridesmaids, her mom or even herself!
Perfect for: A bridesmaid who wants to add a little something extra to her attire for the day. (Disclaimer: Always check with your bride first to make sure she is OK with this!)
Perfect for: Any lady who appreciates one-of-a-kind accessories!




Contact me for more details, a personal creative session and pricing!
dina@duccidesigns.com

Bridal Headpiece Creation

I am just coming down from a wonderful high.... The high of one of my dearest friend's wedding.... Not only was it such an honor to be a part of her wedding as a bridesmaid but also, as a designer, to create her headpiece!

Laura's dress was gorgeous (of course!). An elegant gown with a layer of ivory chiffon flowing over the top of the A-line skirt, ruched strapless bodes with a taupe sash and two petaled flowers sitting to the left side on the waist. She had told me she wanted something simple in her hair, maybe some sort of flower with feathers.... Feathers, of course I will use feathers! We had looked at some photos and headpieces in stores, so I had a gauge of what she liked and had in mind. I had her tell the seamstress to save the fabric from the hem of her dress. I knew I would use this to create the headpiece. (As it turned out, I was able to find an almost exact match of chiffon and I ended up using that. But if I had only the hem I would have used it... Having the extra fabric gave me insurance and peace of mind!) I had a detailed photo of the flowers on her dress and used this as my inspiration.

I began cutting and cutting petal after petal... The flower had five groupings of petals, then had four tiered layers.... All total there was 135 petals! It was then embellished with a few pearls and a vintage rhinestone flower, which ended up being her "something old" and even more special as it came from our friend's (and also a bridesmaid) grandmother's old jewelry collection! I hand-dyed white feathers in coffee to get a perfect ivory match. I wasn't sure if feathers would end up working.... I played with it and was able to incorporate them....








As with any client, but especially your friend, you want them to be happy with what you create. I had explicitly told Laura I wanted her to honest with me and tell me what she liked and didn't like when I brought her round-one of the piece..... As it turned out she didn't love how I had done the feathers. The were grouped together in one section coming out from behind the flower. Once we put it in her hair, it didn't lay right... The flower was also a bit flat and not as whimsical as she had hoped.... As I had planned accordingly to have enough time to make any changes, I was not concerned about getting the job done so she was completely happy with it... My roommate Stacy (another bridesmaid and my sounding board for design ideas!) and I bounced ideas off of each other of how I could change it up.... So I worked on creating fuller petals to fill in the gaps and give it some depth. The feathers were removed from their "clump", cut down and then individually placed in between layers of petals scattered throughout the piece.
When I brought it back for Laura to try, her face lit up. When we put it in her hair, she beamed. It was now perfect for her and if I do say so myself... It looked much better in her hair than version one!!! I could breath a sigh of relief. She loved it!












Laura made the most beautiful bride from head-to-toe! Congratulations to Laura & Imran!