Archives for September 2021

All About Bustles: The Folded Fan Bustle

Next up in our bustle series is The Folded Fan Bustle. A very fun bustle to accentuate the curves of the silhouette. The shape of the bustle compliments gowns that are more fitted at the hips and bodice. We adored working with this bride on her gorgeous wedding gown. 

The idea behind this type of bustle is that the bustle points create a folded fan-like look. This particular gown we worked on had so many gorgeous details on the center back, from elegant buttons, lace, and intricate embroidery. We wanted to maintain all of these beautiful details when we created the bustle. 

We added clear snaps on the undersides of the center back “fan” to snap that fan into place when the bustle is all buttoned up. The center fan stays open in place so everyone can see all of the beauty and articulate detail of the back. At JOA, we love finding unique solutions for each bride we work together with. From bustles, to custom wedding gowns, to wedding gown restyles, we are always finding creative approaches that are personally curated to each client.

Inside the Process: Fabrics

Fabric shopping!! Probably one of my favorite things is visiting the incredible Mood Fabric store in Los Angeles and wandering through all of the aisles. As you may know, being able to see and feel a fabric in-person makes all the difference. I love when I get the chance to make a trip to California and gather some unique fabric for our JOA clients.

For my most recent trip, I was searching for beautiful beaded fabrics for a very special gown we are designing at the Atelier. Here are some of the gorgeous beaded fabrics I stumbled upon…

And then I was also very inspired by the feathers, beautiful buttons, boucle fabrics, silks, trims, and more!! Check them out below.

   

Mood Fabrics is a designer’s paradise! I can’t wait to share with you the dress we are designing with some of these fabrics. Stay tuned for a peek into this gown soon!

All About Bustles: The Belle Bustle

Continuing our All About Bustle Series, we have a very unique bustle to share with you. We call it the Belle Bustle. 

The Bride we worked together with wanted her dress to be long in order to pair nicely with her four inch heels. However, she also wanted to be able to kick off her shoes for the reception and not have to worry about stepping on her dress. 

So we got creative and created a bustle that gave the Bride the flexibility to dance and be able to wear her styling heels. Normally bustles are pinned up in the back and hold up the long train. We ended up creating a bustle that had bustle points in the back and the front. This made the length of the dress shorter so that when the Bride kicked off her high heels, she could dance the night away. 

Visit our past All About Bustles blogs for more bustle inspiration and to learn more about the infinite bustle possibilities out there. If you’d like JOA to assist you with your bustling and bridal alterations, get in touch at love@jenniferoberg.com to book your appointment.

Inside the Process: Draping

A peek into some behind the scenes at the Atelier. Often we are sharing gorgeous photography of the different clients we worked together with and their wedding attire. However, before we arrive at those gorgeous garments and photos there is a whole process that we go through. Today we want to share with you the early stages of the dressmaking process.

Here we have the Bride Kelsey we recently worked together with. These are images from when we first started making the muslin for her wedding gown. Usually when you create a wedding gown, you want to create a sample out of muslin first. The reason we do this is to make sure the size and fit is right before cutting up the final fabric. 

Master Dressmaker Jennifer was mentoring Sophia in the draping method process. Jennifer was teaching Sophia how to drape a gown from scratch. This involved taking careful and precise measurements of the bride, sizing the dress form to her size, and then draping the muslin on the form. It is almost like making a sculpture!

Below you can see more details of this process…

Restyling: Necklines and Sleeves

We love to share images of the process of restyling gowns. It can be really helpful for our clients to see the many possibilities available in restyling a gown. Here we wanted to show you the way we transformed the neckline and sleeves on our client’s gown to fit her style. 

The bride we worked with wanted a modest neckline and sleeves added to her dress. We started by taking muslin and filling in the front and back to create a new neckline that was more comfortable for her.

Next, we created a mockup of a sleeve to be added to her dress.

Then, we started working on filling in the front and back with lace that matched the dress.

We kept working on the dress to make it blend in so that the final neckline looked like it had always been part of the dress.

And voilà! We have a gown restyle aligned to the Bride’s style and vision. For any gown restyle inquiries get in touch with Jennifer at love@jenniferoberg.com.