Wedding Sewing 3: Understanding Couture Sewing Methods & Techniques

Given my lack of knowledge in bridal gowns/special occasion dresses, I had to do a lot of research on construction and couture methods.

Construction Methods & Techniques

Because this is a wedding dress, I want to make it into one of those high-end couture gown. So I went down the rabbit hole of couture sewing, in order to understand what that means. At the same time, it gives me an opportunity to consider different construction options. It would be foolish of me to ignore technical details such as how to get into the garment and base structure during the designing stage. It was important to me to have a general idea of how the pieces would come together. I admit I missed a few important construction details that I'll mention later, but that means I get to exercise my problem solving skills!

Because my top-skirt set does not fit neatly into the traditional couture gown designs, I had to assess which couture aspects I’d like to infuse into my journey. Besides hand-sewing techniques, the corselette, skirt structure, and underlining are what I decided to add to my initial design.  

Corselette

In all the DIY wedding dress blog posts out there, there is the concept of a corselette, which is a base layer that fits closely to the body to hold the dress. Many couture dresses have this as the internal structure. Wedding dresses with heavy beading and layers of fabric also require some form of internal structure to hold all the weight. I have researched how to make one, and questioned whether I needed one. In the end, I decided to make one because I wanted to! Construction details to come in another post.

Dior dress inner corset (Photo credit Nina Lee Loves blog)

Skirt Structure

In the moments I could sneak a peek under the wedding dresses I've tried on, I've seen netting and tulle used as petticoat hold shape for the dress. I was uncertain if I needed skirt under-structure with LAYERS upon LAYERS of netting, so I did some research in case I needed it.

White petticoat

Underlining and Lining 

Many couture garments tend to have an underlining, which has the ability to change the drape of the self fabric. And a lining provides comfort against the wearer’s body and hides away any ugly seams. When I learned about this idea of using multiple fabrics to create a custom garment, I realized the meaning of couture.

Resources that I found useful

Books:

• Claire Schaeffer: Couture Sewing Techniques 

• Lynda Maynard: The Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques: Essential Step-by-step Techniques for Professional Results

Online classes:

• Craftsy Susan Khalje’s couture class

• Craftsy Alison Smith’s couture hand sewing techniques 

Other resources: 

• Bridal Sewing Techniques YouTube Channel