Jackie's Vintage Gown

A little over a year ago, I received an e-mail from a woman in Chicago, telling me that she wanted to wear her mother's gown for her Summer 2008 wedding. She said that it was quite discolored and not the style she wanted, but she loved the satin, the lace, and the sentiment.

Of course, I love vintage wedding gowns and thoroughly enjoy the challenge of breathing new life into an older gown. So, Jackie mailed me her mother's gown and I began the work of restoring and restyling it for her.

This is Jackie and her lovely mother



This is the gown after I cut the sleeves off of it. I wish I had taken a photo of the gown on a dress form before doing anything to it, but I neglected to do that.

After I cut the sleeves off, I began test-cleaning one of them to see how the fabric would hold up and what results I could expect. If you look closely, you can see that the bottom sleeve in this photo is much whiter than the top sleeve.

The gown, with the neckline trimmed and sans sleeve. Notice how full the skirt is in this photo.

Jackie came and visited 4 or 5 times over the past year for fittings and consultations. At first, we did alot of the work via e-mail, sending photos and ideas back and forth. Early in 2008, I had finished whitening the dress, changing the top into a strapless, and narrowing the skirt significantly. At this point, our fabulous September's Bride seamstress, Sherry, took over and fine-tuned the gown so that it fit Jackie perfectly. Back to me, then, for last-minute lace touches and styling.

On June 14, 2008, Jackie was able to wear her mother's gown, literally made-for-her, when she married Chris!


Congratulations, Chris and Jackie! Thank you for the opportunity and privelege to work on your gown. You and your Mom are very special to us at Great Lakes Wedding Gown Specialists, LLC!

September's Bride...a fresh approach to formal.