A look at creative design in fashion.
Hi! I’m Alexandria, welcome to my portal for creative design! I’m a fine artist by education but have always admired the intersection of art and fashion. I dabble in fashion design because it’s inspiring me most these days.
I’m willing to bet that if you ask any artist, they aren’t a fan of labels. Once you design a dress does that make you a fashion designer? No need to put a damper on things with labels and such. Time is best spent exploring!
The magical thing about being an artist is that when you speak the language of color, line, composition, texture and space (to name a few) you can pretty much find your way through any medium. The most important thing is to have fun and know that as an artist, you provide value….or at least that’s what I tell myself!
This particular creative design was inspired by the lovely soft and weightlessness of a chiffon dress. “Flowy” is a term you will often hear women use to describe a chiffon dress (usually accompanied by a big smile and love drunk eyes).
Isn’t it amazing how a little fabric and thoughtful design can make us feel differently? THAT in and of itself is why I love creating new artful dress designs.
The birthday cake dress is meant to communicate playfulness and femininity…and of course, whatever else it may communicate to you as the audience.
How to Construct a Creative Fashion Look
To create this birthday cake inspiration, I used plastic drop cloth ( from Lowe’s), pompom balls ( 2 packs from Michaels), velcro , needle and thread. Did you know Lowe’s was actually an art supply store? The best kind!
The construction took about 45 minutes so this could definitely be adapted into a halloween costume with minimal effort. I used the adhesive side of the velcro to attach the plastic to the velcro. If this becomes a birthday cake barbie halloween costume, I suggest you sew the plastic to the velcro. You want it to remain durable as you dance the night away! The velcro will serve as your waistline and will wrap around the smallest part of your waist.
I busseled the back of the dress as if it were a wedding dress. I actually learned how to bussel from a local Charlotte Dress Designer that designed my wedding dress! The bussel will create little pockets. In those pockets, use hot glue to adhere the pompoms.
At the edges of the skirt, I wrapped the ends in pompoms and sewed them closed. If you don’t want to bother with sewing ( it is plastic afterall) use a stapler to staple your layers closed. I left the front open, creating a overlay of sorts.
Now, for the fun part: wearing your creation! Pompoms leaked out of the skirt here and there. However, I found it kind of comical, leaving a path of colored bread crumbs in South End, Charlotte (ha!). I picked them up of course. That’s right, I walked around in this plastic look and people mostly smiled after giving a bewildered look. Funny thing is, fast forward 4 weeks and everyone will be walking around in crazy outfits for halloween. It’s our social construct that whispers it’s appropriate now. As an artist, I find it thrilling to overcome the mundane and ignore social norms. What’s the saying….? Oh! Nobody puts baby in a corner ;-).
Always find time for things that make you feel happy to be alive.
Our dog, Kevin, loved watching me put this dress together. He was there every step of the way, convinced the little balls were dog treats. Make sure small children and pets are careful not to grab one of these pompoms as a snack!
Other than that, I’m pretty sure this creative design is risk free! Enjoy creating and let me know if this inspires your halloween costume!
~Alexandria