The Photo-Op Dress

I was inspired by this dress that Natalie Portman wore. I especially love the cutout back which would allow you to wear a bra. So I set out to design my own version. I also wanted to incorporate one of my photo-morph fabrics. I made two versions of the dress. the second version had a longer, fuller back skirt. This also pulled the back cut-out a little lower. I decided to go with the first option for the pattern as I felt it gave the backless feeling while still letting you wear supportive undergarments.

The "Moonlight Traffic" design fits two panels across 60" fabric which as was helpful when laying out the front bodice and skirt, as I needed to create a seamless transition between the two pieces. I had it printed on silk twill and lined the dress with a silk habotai. The dress has a curved invisible zipper in the side back seam. I discovered that you can clip zipper tape to make them lie flat from Shingo Sato. I embellished the bodice with tiny bronze sequins.

For the second version, I used my "Hiroshima" print on cotton sateen. I lined with a pink acetate lining. Since the print shows barbed wire being overgrown with flowers, I decided to cut the dress with the stark barbed wire in front and flowers on the back train. I think this worked well with the fuller back panels.

This is one of my favorite patterns and I still wear both dresses. The bodice is quite simple and uses the burrito method of finishing, The side panels and back are a little tricky to put together, especially the curved zipper.