I am absolutely thrilled to make this dress. Madame Gres dresses are such style icons that designers to this very day still copy the technique of micropleating in a bodice. I particularly like this design because of the gold lame bow and streaks that run through the front. On top of that, one of the dresses was worn by an actress in a Las Vegas movie scene. I've used that image in many design journals where I've been inspired by Vegas so I've been looking at this design for years.
One of the reasons this dress excites me is that I have made a version of this dress multiple times in college. Once as a half scale and a second as a pinning project. I still have the fabric from the second project to use for the sample of this one! I know how well the silk jersey worked for my previous project, however Mood Fabrics was all out of any color that would have worked for this design. I looked over at the Modal jersey and I did find what I believe to be a good weight and color but I just hope the thickness holds up to the elegance of this piece.
Next came just some slight research for this dress. I wanted to make sure I retained the proper inner structure of this dress and so I researched inside techniques for a Gres dress. I found pictures that use chiffon and boning to create an inner corset. I didn't need instruction on the pleating techniques but I did find a good picture of what the overall inside should look like, including the stitches catching the inside of the bodice to hold the pleats.
