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Saturday, 3 September 2016

A Short Break...



Hi,
I've got a hectic couple of months ahead, so I'm just posting to let anyone reading know that I won't be posting any designs on either of my blogs for the next 2 months. I'm leaving all my previous blog posts up, so feel free to look through the designs I have already posted. I'm looking forward to having a couple of months break, to give me time to come up with some new ideas ready for November. In the meantime, if you haven't already done so, please also look at my  special occasion-wear designs on my other blog www.bronzedalebridaldesigns.blogspot.co.uk, and I will be back here on Friday 4th of November with new designs for the winter.
Thanks,
Bronzedale Designs.
Image © Bronzedale Designs

Saturday, 27 August 2016

'Carriage' Top



Inspired by a picture of a Victorian carriage, this could be worn as either a long top or a short dress. It is made up of black and white panels, fitted together to form the shape of the carriage when the wearer's arms are down by their sides. The top has wide, three quarter-length sleeves, and the wheel shapes are appliqued onto them. White ribbon is used to outline some of the panels, such as the rectangles that make up the carriage windows, and around the edge of the neckline and the sleeves. The top reaches to the upper thigh.

I hope you liked this design, it is part of my 'Designs Inspired by History' project. For more designs check back here on the 1st of November or visit my special-occasion-wear blog at www.bronzedalebridaldesigns.blogspot.co.uk 
Top Design and Image © Bronzedale Designs

Friday, 19 August 2016

'Nothing Gold Can Stay' Lingerie


This design is inspired by the poem 'Nothing Gold Can Stay' by Robert Frost, which I came across after hearing the beautiful song Stay Gold by First Aid Kit. It is a design I've had on my to do list for quite a while, so I was pleased to be able to get it done.


The bra and briefs are both pale green. The briefs are edged with gold, and the bra straps are also gold. Both the bra and the briefs feature leaves and tendrils as decoration. These could either be embroidered or printed on.


I hope you liked this design, it is part of my 'Designs Inspired by Literature' project. For more designs check back here next week or visit my special-occasion-wear blog at www.bronzedalebridaldesigns.blogspot.co.uk 
Lingerie Design and Images © Bronzedale Designs

Friday, 12 August 2016

'Rossetti' Trousers



I've had the picture that I've used for this, sat in my OneNote notebook for a while now, not knowing what I wanted to use it for. The picture is an ink drawing that I found on the Tate Gallery's website. It is by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and is titled Taurello's First Sight of Fortune.

The picture has five subjects (and the dog) but for this pair of trousers I have cut out three of the subjects, partly because they wouldn't have fit on the trousers and partly because that would have been a lot more sketching. So, the trousers only feature Taurello and the lady removing her glove. I have done my best to copy their faces accurately, but as I am not Rossetti, the faces are far from a perfect replica. The landscape behind is also not copied very faithfully, and is more or less completely invented in places to fill out the space.

For the picture I've drawn on the trousers I used Microsoft's FreshPaint programme because it gave more of a hand drawn feel than Serif Drawplus, the programme I normally use.


The trousers themselves are wide-legged and made of a parchment coloured linen. The image would be printed on them. The trousers would fasten by a zip at the side. The belt panel of the trousers has a bow and arrow motif embroidered on it, taken from the bow and arrow in the original picture.


I hope you liked this design, it is part of my 'Designs Inspired by Art' project. For more designs check back here next week or visit my special-occasion-wear blog at www.bronzedalebridaldesigns.blogspot.co.uk 
Trousers Design and Images © Bronzedale Designs

Saturday, 6 August 2016

'Wren' Dress



This is a design that has taken me quite a while to perfect. I knew I wanted to use a wren motif on it, but found it really difficult to draw something that looked nice and suited the dress style I wanted to use. In the end I came up with this repeated motif pattern going down each of the side panels of the dress. There is also embroidery around the sleeves, neckline and waist of the dress. All of the embroidery is in white. The dress has short sleeves and a knee-length skirt.

Embroidery on the dress

Wren motif used on the dress

I hope you liked this design, it is part of my 'Designs Inspired by Nature' project. For more designs check back here next week or visit my special-occasion-wear blog at www.bronzedalebridaldesigns.blogspot.co.uk 
Dress Design and Images © Bronzedale Designs

Saturday, 30 July 2016

'Mary II Painting' Pyjamas



I've based this design on a dress from a painting of Mary II. The painting that I based this on is actually a copy of one by Sir Peter Lely. In the original she is wearing an reddish-orange dress, but in the copy I based this on, her dress is blue.
Detail of the pyjama top

These pyjamas take the colours of the dress from the painting. They have slit sleeves with another cream sleeve underneath. The slit is then joined by a small piece of ribbon with a teardrop shape hanging from it. The slit sleeves were inspired by the sleeves on Mary II's dress. The pyjamas also have embroidery round the neckline which mimics the shapes of Mary II's pearl beads in the painting.

I hope you liked this design, it is part of my 'Designs Inspired by History' project. For more designs check back here next week or visit my special-occasion-wear blog at www.bronzedalebridaldesigns.blogspot.co.uk 
Pyjamas Design and Images © Bronzedale Designs

Friday, 22 July 2016

'The Sunne in Splendour' Tunic



I have recently read The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Penman for the first time, and absolutely loved it. So I decided to use that for my Design Inspired by Literature this week.


This design uses Edward IV's sunne in splendour badge as a motif on the embroidered front panel. The panel uses the motif three times, one on each shoulder and one in the centre of the tunic. This embroidered panel then attaches to a brown tie-belt, which ties at the back of the tunic. The tunic is sleeveless, but in this drawing it is shown worn over a plain cream shirt. The tunic's armholes are edged with the same brown colour as the belt. The rest of the tunic is left plain to draw attention to the embroidered panel.

I hope you liked this design, it is part of my 'Designs Inspired by Literature' project. For more designs check back here next week or visit my special-occasion-wear blog at www.bronzedalebridaldesigns.blogspot.co.uk 
Tunic Design and Images © Bronzedale Designs