Thread: neat dress!

I remember someone posted recently looking for ideas for more modest options...I have been admiring this tricky little number from an old Soad Hosny movie. I think it's neat how the side fringe picks up her movement and how the dress conceals the figure without being so baggy.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lAyasNXTnY&NR=1]YouTube - سعاد Ø*سني بانو بانو[/ame]

Pretty...thanks for posting!

lol, if I drank, then I might consider adding drama and intrigue to all of my grand entrances by swigging a martini while I made my way onstage ;)

la, that was gorgeous- what film was that from, anyone know?
I think I might have some purple glitter mesh left...hmmm

I can't figure out the construction. It looks like a huge rectangle with a head hole and the sides sewn to contour the body, but when she lifts her arms, you can see that there is fabric underneath, along the side of her body. Is that a gusset? Some kind of leotard or slip underneath? I can't see a shoulder seam or darts, and it must be some kind of knit to hold the shape like that. If it was just bias-cut woven fabric, I would expect it to look more tablecloth-y.

Wow wow wowee!! That dress is fantastic! It looks really heavy.... love love love it! thanks for posting! I'm sending the video to our costuming guru!

Very unique. It reminds me of a poncho.

Oh! That looks soooo easy to make. All you need is a 1 1/2 -2 1/2 yards of stretchy material, Cut a neck hole and hem. Make a mark under your arm down the length of the material for the lines on where you will sew and then sew a line on each edge starting from bottom to the measuring point where your underarm would be. Then make fabric fringe on the edges. Sew beaded diamonds on the front and there you have it.

What a cool dress! I like how it looks when she spins.

Originally Posted by jasani

Oh! That looks soooo easy to make. All you need is a 1 1/2 -2 1/2 yards of stretchy material, Cut a neck hole and hem. Make a mark under your arm down the length of the material for the lines on where you will sew and then sew a line on each edge starting from bottom to the measuring point where your underarm would be. Then make fabric fringe on the edges. Sew beaded diamonds on the front and there you have it.

There's more to it than that. If you watch her around 5:20, after she's put her arms up and the side pieces have collapsed in against her body, you can see that there is some sort of bodice underneath to cover the sides of her chest. From the way the fabric is staying together, it almost looks like it is sewn into the sleeve opening (as opposed to being under the dress).

I'm afraid if you just took a big piece of fabric and contoured two seams along the body, you'd get all kinds of funny pulling around the bust line and the arm holes when you moved, unless you left a large-enough arm opening--at which point, you'd have to make some costuming contingency plan for what would happen when you raised your arms...which brings us back to figuring out what is going on with the sides of that dress. I wish I could see it in person!

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

There's more to it than that. If you watch her around 5:20, after she's put her arms up and the side pieces have collapsed in against her body, you can see that there is some sort of bodice underneath to cover the sides of her chest. From the way the fabric is staying together, it almost looks like it is sewn into the sleeve opening (as opposed to being under the dress).

I'm afraid if you just took a big piece of fabric and contoured two seams along the body, you'd get all kinds of funny pulling around the bust line and the arm holes when you moved, unless you left a large-enough arm opening--at which point, you'd have to make some costuming contingency plan for what would happen when you raised your arms...which brings us back to figuring out what is going on with the sides of that dress. I wish I could see it in person!

well, I have a couple Iranian dresses of similar construction but heavier fabric, and they don't pull at the bust line- they are just sewn with elastic thread close to the body- mine don't have the neckline or cut outs tho, and the slinky fabric is definitely a must! I think I would put either a sheath dress or maybe a beaded bra to peek thru the cut outs. I think you could use a woven fabric if it is soft & drapey enough- I have seen some imitation assuit that might work.

What about that fringe? is it strips of the fabric twined together plus coins, do you think, or is there beading etc?

wow!!! i love it!

[quote=Lara L;312781]

Originally Posted by Lara L

well, I have a couple Iranian dresses of similar construction but heavier fabric, and they don't pull at the bust line- they are just sewn with elastic thread close to the body- mine don't have the neckline or cut outs tho, and the slinky fabric is definitely a must! I think I would put either a sheath dress or maybe a beaded bra to peek thru the cut outs. I think you could use a woven fabric if it is soft & drapey enough- I have seen some imitation assuit that might work.

I'm basing my theory that it will pull on an ill-fated attempt to move some drop sleeves inward on a beledi dress that I was altering to make smaller. (You'd think something that sack-like and loose wouldn't care if the arm holes weren't exactly cut off a pattern, but I'm not happy with the way it lays across the chest now!)

If I were attempting to copy this, I'd go with a jersey/knit/metallic mesh with some stretch in the hope that I could cut it close to the body and still have enough give to move. The original follows her shape pretty closely, and if you went too baggy on the cut, you'd look like you were wearing a bed sheet--only without the option of "improving" the outline when you wore it by adding a hip scarf. (You couldn't belt around those sleeves.)

What about that fringe? is it strips of the fabric twined together plus coins, do you think, or is there beading etc?

Obviously, whatever they used, it isn't heavy because it doesn't look like it's pulling on the edge seams. I'd guess it's some kind of self-fringing with paillettes or light coins (sort of like how if you fringe the edges of a tee-shirt, they will roll on themselves, making little strips). It doesn't look like it's sparkling like beads would.

The more I look at the video, the more I think she's got a cream-colored underskirt on with it, too.

[quote=Tourbeau;312798]

Originally Posted by Lara L

The more I look at the video, the more I think she's got a cream-colored underskirt on with it, too.

yeah, there's definitely *something* under there...