Fashion Design Career

Formal Wear Design

This is a portfolio of my fashion designs over the history of my design career, not a shopping page. Please bear the proper time frame in mind while viewing.

Thank you.

While I have sewn since I was a child, I didn't get seriously into designing and making dresses for others until I was in my late teens.  Once I started getting requests for prom and wedding dress designs, I wanted to refine my skills to do a professional job of design so I applied to Holland College in PEI and was accepted into their Design Program 'in a heart beat'.

When I returned from Holland College in 1986, I began designing formal wear.

I made these one-of-a-kind dresses from the basement of my parent's home. I spent many many long hours at my sewing machine but I didn't care, I was doing the work I loved.

My first fashion show was a segment of the Miss Teen Newfoundland Pageant at the Arts and Culture Center (no less, lol) It was put together at extremely short notice, myself and my assistant literally fitting the dresses on the volunteer models as they were about to walk out on stage.

I was beyond nervous to take my curtain call after my designs were presented, but the applause when I walked out on stage only served to solidify my pride in my own accomplishments and might have gone to my head, if I hadn't stepped on the edge of a wedding dress train one of the models was wearing and nearly sent us both into a 'snowball down a hill' cascade of white satin and lace, lol

Every dress here was designed from scratch.  I drafted the patterns myself from a sketch photo (more often pieces of many photos) or just a description.  I simply use a pencil and blank newsprint and the customer's measurements.

Doesn't matter how fancy your pattern drafting system is, it all comes down to the same basic talent which you either have, or you don't.  Most of my patterns fit on the first try with minimal alterations, sometimes they don't even require that if I've measured the customer myself.

Black and white taffeta gown

Mint green taffeta and lace gown

Pale pink taffeta gown with balloon sleeves and front bodice applique

I occasionally made something for myself, lol I'm the jester on the left and that's my friend Elaine on the right.

Red satin and organza with beading and ruffled shoulders.

TEACHING CAREER

I did teach Fashion Merchandising for a year at the Newfoundland Career Academy.  Unfortunately, Lorraine Lush (the then owner of the academy) has not responded to repeated requests for an employment reference.

OLDFORD ORIGINALS MOVES TO ITS NEW HOME

I eventually decided that I needed more room to work and wanted work and home separate, so I leased two rooms on the second floor of a downtown building. My first official studio, Oldford Originals, was open.

All of these dresses are made either from a picture or combination of pictures provided by the customer or just a description.

I drafted the patterns myself, sewed the dresses, fitted them and did any adjustment necessary.

Black velvet and royal blue satin gown

Love this one from about 1988. Pink and dusty rose taffeta ruffles and shirred center bodice. Bows and flowers were the style then.

Red taffeta with rose sleeves and neck ruffles

Pink satin gown with white beaded appliques, gathered sleeve caps on long tapered sleeves, princess line bodice and full tea length skirt with appliques

White satin bridal gown with full skirt, standard length train, belle sleeves with lace under sleeve

This was the very first wedding dress I designed and made completely from scratch for a customer.

Another Oldford Originals bridal design (approximately 1989) on an actual bride, Roma. This two-piece bridal dress was so nice, even the Minister Rev. Coish commented on it.

Blush pink silk noil gown with tulle train and the actual bride it was designed for

The train was detachable.

My first 'official name on a sign' store. The bridal gown to the lower right, would later be the emblem for my Victorian Bridal Salon just a little father down on the opposite side of the same road.

This dress, I designed and made when home embroidery machines first came on the market.

I started with plain ivory taffeta and embroidered irises over it with gold metallic thread, beaded them and used a scallop stitch on the machine to finish the edges of the flounces.

The roses were made using the rolled edge of serger.

The hem of the dress had single motifs of the same beaded irises. Unbelievably, the district manager of Singer wouldn't accept this dress into the design competition they sponsored to promote this new embroidery machine because 'it far exceeded the parameters of the intended competition'.

He was full of what makes the grass grow green and it ain't sunshine or rain, lol

The Victorian Bridal

In 1993, I opened The Victorian Bridal. With encouragement from my then husband, I took the step from selling only my own designs to selling other lines of bridal wear.

This was my bridal store, The Victorian Bridal, 333 Freshwater Road, named for the style of the architecture. 

I built this business up with many many long hours of work and no shortage of good talent, it was mine alone, up until August of 2003 when it went to my ex.

At first, many thought we only carried Victorian style clothing. Word quickly got out that the only thing that was old-fashioned, was our service, so I took that as our slogan.

Also, during this time, I sold miniature house kits on eBay, my eBay ID was and still is beadlady333 (because I'm a bridal gown designer).  Contrary to what some US hacker set my personal information to, I have never lived in the USA.

The miniature house kits were manufactured by Greenleaf and Dura Craft.  My thanks to Sue at Hobbycraft for always being friendly and helpful.

Building miniatures was just and still is, just a hobby that I enjoy.

333 Freshwater Road

My sewing room, second floor.

This was my design studio at the Victorian Bridal after renovations. If you look carefully, you can see my dog Bailey snoozing in the sunlight coming in through the window in the back of the room, lol

She went to work with me every day from when I first got her at seven weeks of age till my ex assumed the store in 2003 and then she stayed at home with me, as well behaved as you could hope while I fitted dresses in my own home.

The visual record of those alterations are on the 'Bridal Alterations' and Formal Wear Alterations' pages.

This customer came to me to have her bridal gown remade after the person she hired to design it for her, ruined it.

To say it's a complete made over and that she was pleased with the results, is an understatement.

It was mocha coloured satin-backed crepe trimmed with a wide gold metallic corded braid. 

I took the dress completely apart, recut and refitted the bodice, sleeves and skirt, and then reassembled them all.

I don't have a photo of the before dress, but with its poorly cut pieces and (I kid you not) tole painted hem, it was a disaster.

Jacinda wasn't just a graduation dress customer, she was a student placement at the Victorian Bridal.

That is my actual cousin Scott (who was the ring bearer at my wedding when he was much younger) next to her in a Mandarin Lord West tuxedo from my bridal salon.

This bridal gown from luxurious rayon lace over duchess satin was custom-designed for this bride named Cathy and the bridesmaids dresses were also custom designed for her daughter and step daughter.

Satin bodice with six-panel crepe skirt, they were my very popular style #0330 in periwinkle colour.

PRESENT DAY SEWING

I do maintain a sewing room in my home, equipped with all I need to produce any textile item imaginable. Most of the time the tv is on just so the house doesn't seem too quiet, lol

My dog Bailey passed away, but I do still have a sign of other life in my home in the form of tropical fish. The angel fish wasn't a big as a quarter when I bought it, it's even larger still now.

My design work has always been separate from anything my ex aspired to be involved in and it will remain so.

Fashion Designs

Please keep in mind, while looking through these designs, that they date from

10 or more years ago as it's been that long since I owned the Victorian Bridal. 

We rented dresses, capes, tuxedos, the occasional wedding gown and one wishing well for wedding cards, nothing else.

Designed for real women, my dresses were available in sizes 2 - 36 with a corresponding junior miss style in sizes 0 - 16.

My dress designs (not all shown here) were each available in many different colours with several having a maternity style.

Style #0330

Was one of my most popular bridesmaids dress styles. 

Shown here in periwinkle, it's got a round neck, v-back, satin piping and a 6-gore A-line skirt with optional wrap.

Style #1452

This style was also available with sleeves. 

It had a diamond neck, satin piping and a 6-gore A-line skirt with optional wrap.

Style # 1965

This style was also available in mint, pink and black/white. 

It had a high neck, embroidered empire waist and a 6-gore A-line skirt with optional wrap.

Style #2007

Diamond neckline, satin bodice and a 6-gore A-line skirt with optional wrap.

Style #2008

Jacquard bodice with centre shirring, contrasting 6-gore A-line skirt with optional wrap.

Style #2009

V-neck with satin piping and satin sash at empire waist, shown in Mocha, had a 6-gore A-line skirt with optional wrap.

Style #1452

Diamond neckline, short sleeves, satin piping at empire waist, shown in Hyacinth. It had a 6-gore A-line skirt with no optional wrap.

Style #3006

Known as the 'Rosebud Dress', this was by far my most popular flower girl dress design. Satin bodice and skirt gathered in a 'Southern Belle' style.

It had a full lace underskirt and optional crinoline. Rosebuds to match bridesmaids dresses were placed on the skirt's gathers.

Known as the 'Organza Ribbon' dress, this lovely little dress was available in a very tiny size 0 to size 16 for girls confirmation age. 

It had a double skirt and double sleeves, all trimmed with embossed satin ribbons.

It was also available in ivory.

Known as the 'Daisy Circle Skirt' Dress, this style was also available in sizes 0-16 and white and ivory with either white or ivory ribbons on the circle skirt edge and white with pink/yellow daisy trim at the waist and neck.

Shown to the left is one of my bridesmaids dress styles, to the right, the junior miss version of the dress style.

Designed and made specifically for a baby girl, this green velvet dress was a joy to construct. It's trimmed with rayon applique and organza ribbon.

The embroidered taffeta under dress can be worn separately or with the velvet shell.

Designed specifically by customer request, this little boy's christening dress is made of soft duchess satin, trimmed with satin-edged organza ribbons and the covered buttons match the waist sash.

The ruffly girl's christening dress was made for his twin sister.

My own bridal gown from 1991. It was made of luxurious silk satin and trimmed with beaded appliques, sequined lace and graduated bead fringe.

All of these alteration are AFTER September of 2003, when I was finished with the Victorian Bridal and Tuxedo.

This tangerine coloured prom dress, was a full two sizes too small for its wearer.

As there was not enough in the seams to be let out, I suggested making a new panel from the wrap, adding beads to match the bodice and adding it into the panels to get it to fit.

The few beads left in the centre of the panel are all that remained after the seams were freed to be altered.

Here I begin to reapply the beads to the grad dress.

Here the beads are all back in place and after the zipper is sewn back in, it fits her beautifully. She was delighted.

This fuchsia prom dress was too low in the back and wouldn't stay on it's owner.

Taking a piece of fabric from the hem, and scanning the beading pattern with my computer scanner, I made a pattern of the bead work on the dress.

As taffeta is basically like paper, I used the point of a pin to punch holes in the taffeta, one for where each beaded sequin had to be placed.

Here I am sewing the beaded sequins into place.

A bias binding along the upper and lower edges of the new back band ...

... and you would not know that it didn't come with the dress.

This beautiful and delicate embroidered organza gown had to be taken in down the sides.

The skirt is separated from the bodice as the waist seam, the sides taken in and the skirt is sewn back onto the lower edge of the bodice.

 

The bead work on this dress after the sides were taken in, was easy to do as the white chalk is easily seen on the black fabric.

This prom dress, who's alterations I do not remember off the top of my head, was made of one of my favourite fabrics, iridescent taffeta which is two different colours thread woven together.

In this case the warp (vertical threads) are taupe and the weft (horizontal threads) are deep rose.

Bridal Alerations

Some might find it tedious and nerve-racking, but I've always loved doing alterations on bridal gowns and other formal wear.

This is an actual Victorian Bridal customer and friend, Yolanda, in her Amy Lee wedding gown after I've altered it to fit. I've known Yolanda and her sister since I designed and made their graduation dresses for them.

Here we are about to instruct her on how to bustle up the train of her dress just before she gets to her wedding reception.