'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

'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

'Holes' Top

This design is inspired by the book Holes by Louis Sachar. It's a very clever book, and is a really enjoyable read, which is quite surprising when most of the book is about digging holes.

Because of this, I've used a spade motif across one side of the top. The top is intended to be fastened where the green panel joins the orange and blue panels. Snaps would be used under each of the spade shapes to fasten the top. The other part of the top is split into an orange panel, and a blue panel, with a lizard appliqued in yellow, imitating the book's cover. The edges of the top, around the neck, arms and hem are bound in the same colour yellow as the lizard and the spades.

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 

Top Design and Image © Bronzedale Designs

'The Secret Countess' Dressing Gown

(Sorry that this blog post is being posted two days late, it's been sunny so anything that involves staying indoors has been shifted to the end of my to do list.)

I've been reading The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotson recently, though rereading might be more accurate, as I have read it quite a few times before. To say that this design is inspired by the book would be stretching the truth a little bit, it's actually only really inspired by the book cover, which on my version of the book, has a butterfly design in gold around the edges of the front cover.

I've used this butterfly design on this dressing gown, the butterfly motif has been repeated across the dressing gown at different angles and sizes and in different shades of gold. The butterfly motif is intended to be printed on the dressing gown fabric.

The rest of the dressing gown is fairly simple. It has a plain gold collar and tie and is mid-calf length. There is a loose ruffling on either side of the dressing gown, but other than that the shape and style of the dressing gown is simple, relying on the butterfly pattern for its' decoration.

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 

Dressing Gown Design and Images © Bronzedale Designs

'North Child' Dress

This design is based on the book North Child by Edith Pattou. It's based on a Norwegian fairy tale called East of the Sun, West of the Moon, which has slight resemblances to Beauty and the Beast. On one of the first pages of the book there is an image of a compass rose (the book involves compasses quite a lot.) The image looked really striking on the opening pages though, so I decided to use it for this design.

Detail of compass rose decoration

This design uses a wide blue collar-like neckline. The dress is plain white except for the compass rose design which is printed onto the dress, to one side. The design continues round to the back, though part of the design would be cut out by the armhole. The dress has a blue hem to match the colour of the compass rose design and the collar.

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 

Dress Design and Images © Bronzedale Designs

'A Place of Greater Safety' Summer Coat

I was a bit unsure about reading A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel simply because I know next to nothing about French history (or any history other than British history for that matter) so I wasn't sure whether I would follow it. I'm glad I did read it, it's an amazing book.

It was quite a while after I finished it that I google image searched Lucile Desmoulins and came up with this picture (which is believed to be of Lucile Desmoulins) and decided to use it for a design sketch.

I've called this design a summer coat, is that an actual thing? I'm not sure. It probably ought to exist, if only for the Great British summertime. This design loosely copies the clothes worn by Lucile Desmoulins in the portrait. I have found the colour almost impossible to get right, and I'm still not sure about it, the colour in the portrait looks prettier.

The coat has a gathered front like the one in the portrait, an embroidered waist panel and reaches to the top of the thigh. It has close fitting sleeves, a high collar and a semi shoulder cape (I don't know if there's a better name for that.) It fastens at the front with small buttons. 

Detail on the embroidered waist panel

Detail on the collar

I hope you like this design, it is part of my 'Designs inspired by Literature' project. For more designs, check back here next week or visit my other blog, Bronzedale Bridal Designs at www.bronzedalebridaldesigns.blogspot.co.uk/

Coat Design and Images © Bronzedale Designs

'O. Wilde' Lingerie

 Oscar Wilde has a quote for most things. 'We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars', 'Be yourself - Everyone else is taken' and 'Some cause happiness wherever they go, others whenever they go' are some of his. These two designs aren't inspired by his quotes, but by two short stories which he wrote for children. The left design is inspired by his story The Happy Prince and the right hand design is inspired by The Young King. My copy of them is part of a collection of stories called 'Oscar Wilde Stories for Children'  but I did come across a book in a bookshop recently called 'The Quotable Oscar Wilde' which was hardly bigger than a matchbox, but had one of his short stories in it, along with numerous quotes.

Detail of the Roses and Lilies Bra

Detail of the Swallows and Teardrops Bra

If you haven't read the stories, the left hand design features swallows and teardrops, and the right hand design features lilies and roses. The swallow bra design was intended to be made out of cotton, with the swallows printed on and the tear drops embroidered. On the briefs (I haven't used the word pants for the benefit of any American readers.) the teardrop edging is intended to be embroidered, with the rest of the design to be printed on.
With the roses design, the bra and briefs are intended to be made from satiny material, with gathers in the middle, as on the drawing. The lilies and roses are embroidered.

Pattern used on the Swallow and Teardrop Briefs

Both of the bras were designs as non-underwired bras. I have been mildly despairing for a long time over the lack of decorative non-underwired bras available. Maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places? But as far as I can see I shouldn't have to sacrifice beauty for comfort (I don't wear underwired bras, I just don't find them comfortable.) So both of these were intended as decorative non-underwired bra designs. I've now finished my little rant on the subject, but if anyone reading this is feeling particularly entrepreneurial, I think there may be a gap in the bra market, which I would really like to be filled in.

Detail similar to that used on the Roses and Lilies Briefs (The lilies have been turned pink in this image so that they are visible against the white background.)

Thank you for reading this, it is part of my 'Designs inspired by Literature' Project. For more designs, check back here next week. 

 Swallow  and Rose motifs, lingerie images, and design © Bronzedale Designs