Cloie reached out to me when I decided to no longer work with custom clients. My calendar was completely booked for 2019 and I made the business decision to change my business model from custom to collections. Cloie’s persistence proved to be a creative offer I could not refuse. Our first meeting was in the Mechanicsburg location. It was a little tough to start a project in one place and move to the new place. I was worried that the relocation would be a challenge for Cloie as a client because of the hour commute it would be to come to me for fittings. Thankfully Cloie was willing to continue on the project with me.

We began with her mother’s wedding dress circa 1980… are you excited yet?!! If you have been following my work over the years, you know that this is right up my alley. I love to take a vintage piece and tear it all apart to create something unique and new. Cloie had a very nailed down vision for this dress of the tweaks that she wanted to do and so I sketched the ideas. Upon her approval we went right to work. Typically I create a muslin sample of a garment for my client to try on before cutting the dress but initially we were keeping the redesign very close to what the original dress looked like with minor changes.

At our first fitting we both realized, while we thought the changes were beautiful, they just were not right for Cloie. I decided to make a muslin sample for our next fitting, and also had a few back up muslin sample silhouettes to try. Sample after sample, Cloie liked them all until we hit the ONE! It was a total redesign from her mom’s original dress. I suggested to remove the mesh from the yoke of the dress, while Cloie wanted to keep the idea of the choker and the appliques to be off the shoulder. I cut a new bodice that I lengthened with thin center waistband and lowered the center front applique to elongate Cloie’s bodice. The back had a beautiful scoop. I hand sewed appliques to the bodice front and back where we had a hidden element! We decided to have an off the shoulder style for the ceremony and added hidden straps for more comfort during the reception. I used the original skirt fabric, with additional fabric to create the 2 overlays, underlay and linings. I pieced together the skirt to create a neat diagonal seam, which I used the original trim for a design element. I used as much of the original fabric as possible! I am obsessed with the skirt and well the whole concept of the dress.

I reworked the original headpiece/veil into a modern veil on a comb for Cloie. I love how everything turned out! It was a wonderful experience with Cloie and her entourage. The love they had for each other was clear during the fittings, from tears to face time and many hugs.

Thank You Cloie, for allowing me to be apart of your day. xo Sheila