Black Ball Gown

Black Satin Evening Gown

At first...at a very, very early stage....this was going to be the underdress for a future Arwen BR dress.

I messed up something with the princess seams though so it didn't fit, and then I put it aside for...one year? Two? Maybe more ;-)

Then, there came 2007 and with it came Orlando Bloom's theatre premiere in London, which we didn't want to miss. Unfortunately, I was lacking any decent evening wear (I mean, *how* long since I graduated and all that cr*p? Honestly, I don't have one piece of formal wear in my whole wardrobe. Unless something...creative is okay with you).

Well, what to do? I remembered that old black something that I had around somewhere, so I went in search for that dress and, looking it over, decided to make something entirely different from an Arwen BR undergown. I had this antique Edwardian lace collar that I once bought cheap at a market (yes, I do love them, did I fail to mention? ;-)). Pinning it to the dress for a try, it matched perfectly, and so the dress became a sleeveless gown with shoulder straps. I left that old silver piping between the bodice and the skirt as I tought it looked good; I just reopened the princess seams and did them they way they were meant to be (sometimes, looking into the sewing notes of a pattern *can* be helpful).

Then I attached the collar, which now also forms part of the shoulder straps, carefully replaced the missing beads with modern matching black glass beads and finished the hem. There was a ball gown!

And since I am a really lucky girl, I stumbled across this breathtakingly beautiful antique velvet cape - you guessed it, at a market - which was also beaded in black. For its age (it dates around 1900), it was in perfect condition, I just had to clean in carefully and get that certain 'attic smell' out.

Some beads were secured, but that was all I had to to. I know I might not be that lucky after all, but it even evokes a certain Worth spirit. There's no label inside, mind you, and from what I know and have seen, it's not a Worth item. Still, the look....

I wore both to the theatre in London in August 2007. Unfortunately, I didn't catch a photo with Orlando, but some pics of him signing autographs after the play (which was really good, by the way - the play, not Orlando signing autographs *g*).