Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Vintage Clothing and New Website

Very excited to be working on my own website, i'm not set up to take orders through it yet but i do have some things listed with info and pricing. I will be taking a limited number of orders each month, less than i have been taking in the past, so i can focus on making samples, trying out new designs and expanding the vintage clothing options. Feel free to check out the site as it is now at the link below :-)

http://www.morningstarpinup.com/index.html 

Also I havent shared much about the vintage here on this blog, but thought you all might appreciate seeing some of it, here are a few things that i have listed through Etsy right now all 1950s-1960s
 
3pc 1960s cotton set XS

 1950s real fur evening coat black and brown-M/L
 1960s orange and ivory ribbon lace wiggle dress Size M
 1950s red black check secretary wiggle dress- Size S
1960s orange silk cocktail dress size M
 

Monday, December 8, 2014

Little Black Pinup Dress



 I used a stretch faille bengaline fabric, which has the stretch running lengthwise which is a bit unusual, most fabrics stretch width wise or both ways so it requires laying the fabric out in the other direction. I lined the dress with stretch satin and i made the ''sleeves'' using a soft dotted mesh. I had to use a black nylon to support the shoulder as the fabric stretches a bit and it needed to help support the dress. I also cut the sleeve drape a bit looser than photographed as you can see she isnt able to lift her arms up very high. In my opinion what good is a dress you cant dance in? The bodice has no darts only 4 pleats along the top neckline to allow for the bust, the skirt is a basic pencil cut with two darts front and back.





Below are the images that i was sent, i do not know where she found these or who to credit as the designer. If anybody knows please feel free to post in the comments :-)

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Breakfast At Tiffany's Black Dresses





 Somehow i must have forgotten to blog about these, i know i have post pictures of both before but never did a post just on this classic film. This is my version of the black dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in ''breakfast at Tiffany's'' made from black matte satin with straight full length skirt,  side zipper. The original style has a gathered waist skirt and no walking slit for the ''hobble skirt'' walk that she does but not everyone likes the extra fabric at the waist so i have also done a more fitted version with a darted skirt also pictured above.





Second is my version of the short shift dress with the fringe hem. Scoop neck front and back, neckline and armhole facing body is unlined, tie sash is attached at the back darts. Black suiting fabric with black chainette fringe.


Friday, December 5, 2014

Marilyn Monroe Green Vest



 Styled after a top that Marilyn wore during a photo shoot called "Monroe & Baumen Sitting''
Green brocade vest with cream tulle bust attached, faux double breasted front, fully lined, back is butter yellow satin, original vest was also like this. back invisible zipper. This one is available at the link below :-)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/214014354/marilyn-monroe-style-pinup-bodice-vest?ref=shop_home_active_1



Saturday, November 29, 2014

New 1970s Style Wedding Dress & Flowergirls Dresses


 This was a custom dress that i made for a friend, she wanted something that looked very 1970s. Being a tall woman vintage was not going to work very well and she wanted to be able to pick the elements that suited her best. I did a couple sketches and we talked about what she liked and didnt like. We settled on a curved square neckline and a fitted midriff, both trimmed in beaded ivory lace. I pulled out two vintage bridal patterns from the 70s and mixed, matched and altered to get the design elements to work together. ( i find this is faster than starting from scratch in most cases)

The over fabric is white crepe Georgette, the sleeves are ivory chiffon and the lace is also ivory though a bit darker. The under fabric is white satin. The bodice is lined in cotton with boning support in the front. The sleeves are fitted at the cap and flare to the cuff which is also adorned with lace and finishes with a chiffon ruffle. I had a netting slip left over ( from one of the vintage dresses she sent me to use to make the flower girls dresses) that i sewed in the wedding dress as the ''something old'' element, i also sewed on a blue bead to the cuff as the ''something blue''

The veil was also a collaboration, she liked the late 60s/ early 70s caps but didn't want that beehive look, so i made a cap using buckram and lace that fit closer to the head and made a removable trail using hook and eye tape so she could wear the cap with the blusher to the hair stylist without damaging the very long tulle train.


 As i mentioned above she sent 2 vintage 80s wedding/prom style dresses to me to use as the flower girls dresses, she wanted them to feel like little princesses so i cut the dresses down and kept the detailing and lace from each dress, just scaled down to fit each girl, you can see those pics below.








 as always please respect Morningstar84, my friends and customers and do not use these photos without asking, Thank you.
 

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Vogue 6639 As A Wedding Dress



It has been over a month since i blogged due to my computer dying and trying to finish up the last orders of the year. Things are finally starting to calm a bit, just in time for the holidays craziness.
 This was one of my favorites from this year,  I was sent this vintage Vogue pattern 6639 from the late 40s, along with some lovely silk and silk crepe to make a wedding dress. The pattern required resizing, so i traced it and resized from there ( i don't like to mess up vintage patterns) despite all the adjustments made it turned out beautifully. I had to significantly increase the bust size and also lowered the neckline a couple inches, so the collar would still fall at the same level on the bust line.The entire dress is under lined in cotton broadcloth to support the silk and give it more body. The chiffon is sewn to the silk skirt at the waist and pleated together but hemmed separately for more movement. There is also a lovely ivory scalloped lace trimming the collar.
You can see the dress suits her very well, she did a great job choosing the style and fabrics.

I have started posting pictures of projects as i'm working on them on Instagram
you can find me here : http://instagram.com/morningstar5784

 as always please respect Morningstar84, my friends and customers and do not use these photos without asking, Thank you


Saturday, October 18, 2014

Custom Pinup Sarong Wedding Dress




This was a custom designed dress, there were several elements that my bride was looking for so i did a sketch to put them all together. She chose a light ivory scalloped lace and a more mate bridal satin. I lined the front skirt drape in lace for a little contrast. Sweetheart neckline bodice lining with boning support. Elbow lace sleeves. The dress is fully lined and finished with a matching covered belt.

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Brigitte Bardot's Gingham Wedding Dress



Styled after the dress worn by Brigitte Bardot designed by Jacques Esterel 1959. There is actually a rare Prominent Designer sewing pattern of this dress as well as a slightly easier to find Advance 9283 sewing pattern, which i of course found after i had already made my own pattern. Sigh... Anyway i had quite a time with the ginham fabric, it was 100% cotton very nice weight and texture but the print was about 2'' off the grain on one side, so the checks seemed to be sliding down hill. I have run into this problem a lot with stripes, plaids and other such prints on cotton. So getting the pieces to line up was nearly impossible, though i think it turned out well despite a few lines being slightly off. Other than that the dress went together quickly. I gathered the eyelet lace myself and made matching covered buttons, i decided to do a bias belt for a little interest.  I also made the short sleeve version earlier this year but never got around to writing about it.





Jackie Kennedy's Pink Suit




Styled after the pink double breasted Chanel styled suit (was actually a copy made in the US with Chanel fabric) worn by Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy in 1963. The color is described as anything from strawberry, watermelon or just pink. I chose a bubble gum shade in a woven cotton boucle suiting. I went with princess seams instead of darts for my client due to her full bust, you tend to get a nicer fit this way than you would with darts. I also added back darts for a slightly less boxy shape.
 Accented with a navy blue collar and trim, double pockets on each side, fully lined in navy blue satin, gold buttons. The skirt is a simple high waist straight cut with a back button and zipper closure.