'Magpie' Evening Coat

This is quite a dramatic evening coat design inspired by magpies. It is black and floor length with a high collar and no sleeves. The magpie is edged in gold and the wings use cut outs, so that pieces of a white satin panel underneath show through. The coat fastens at the side, with the panel that features the wing and tail of the magpie wrapping round to meet the panel featuring the head. It fastens at the side with two discreet buttons.

I hope you liked this design. For more designs, check back here next week, or visit my every-day wear blog: www.bronzedaledesigns.blogspot.co.uk/. 

Evening Coat design and image © Bronzedale Designs

'Degas' Bridesmaid Dress

This is my second attempt at designing a dress inspired by Degas' ballet paintings. The first one didn't go particularly well, so I started again from scratch and created this one instead. This dress is specifically based on Degas' 1874 painting 'Stage Rehearsal' and copies the floating, full skirted white dresses in that painting.

The dress has a wide bateau neckline, with a small frill around it. The dress has a very full skirt which would be created with a net underskirt. The dress reaches to mid-calf. It would be fastened using an invisible zip at the back.

I hope you liked this design. For more designs, check back here next week, or visit my every-day wear blog: www.bronzedaledesigns.blogspot.co.uk/. 

Dress design and image © Bronzedale Designs

'Laurels' Evening Coat

I found a Paul Poiret jacket from around 1913 that I really liked, and so decided to use the style of it for a jacket design. This jacket is an ivory-cream colour, with a loose unfitted shape to it, it doesn't cling to the body at all. The jacket edges are slightly asymmetrical, and fastens with small, fairly subtle buttons. There is also a button at each cuff and one on each side of the collar. The collar is a moderate size and is embroidered either side with laurels in a beige colour which matches the buttons on the coat. The coat reaches to mid-thigh.

Close up of evening coat

Laurels were a sign of triumph and victory in Ancient Greece and Rome. I'm quite fond of laurel as I used to play with the leaves of them when I was little. The shape they are often depicted in, fit round a collar really well, creating quite a subtle design, that was still just a little bit different.

I hope you liked this design. For more designs, check back here next week, or visit my every-day wear blog: www.bronzedaledesigns.blogspot.co.uk/. 

Coat design and image © Bronzedale Designs

'Fern' Evening Dress

I designed this dress around the shape of a fern. The dress has a cream satin petticoat underneath it, with an overdress on top. The overdress is made of a flowing gauze and has the shape of a fern embroidered on it in gold. The cream slip reaches to a little below the knees, but the overskirt is asymmetric, with the longest point floor length and the shortest point reaching to just above the ankle. The petticoat is sleeveless, so that the sleeves are only made out of gauze. The gauze overdress buttons up at the back, the petticoat would just slip over the head.

I designed a piece of jewellery to go with this dress, something I don't normally do. This is a hair slide which is based around the same fern design that the dress is inspired by.

I hope you liked this design. For more designs, check back here next week, or visit my every-day-wear blog: www.bronzedaledesigns.blogspot.co.uk/. 

Evening dress design and image and fern jewellery design and image © Bronzedale Designs