Shabby Apple Dress Design Entry

Dress design for Shabby Apple dresses.

by: Shaylynn Rackers

A friend told me about this contest awhile ago; I'd completely forgotten about it until I saw the contest mentioned on a blog. I knew I had to enter, it would be too much fun.

This contest is by Shabby Apple. They make some über cute dresses. ^_^

Here is my Spring-inspired dress!

The Front of the dress!

      When I think of spring, the first images that pop into my head are the bright colors splattering the earth and kids playfully romping in the yard. My little sister with a ruffly dress dancing in the grass; my brothers barefoot in the mud.

     This dress is bright, bold, and playful, just like springtime. It's the sort of dress that makes you feel bright and chipper and pretty.

The back

This dress is flattering on any body shape, especially the hourglass and pear. The asymmetrical hemlines and color blocks pull the eye away from any "problem areas" and focuses on a slimmer, taller line. (Don't we all want that? lol!)

The contrasting waistline brings the waist into focus, something which ladies with pear and hourglass figures will love! However, it is not a problem for those with flat waists, either.

I've included gathers on the front bodice and the waistband. I've noticed that just a few gathers in the right places make one look just a little slimmer.

There are no cap sleeves. Instead, the sleeves are looser and longer, a boon for any woman with a larger arm.

The dress has a good neckline, hemline to the knees, and draws attention to the face.

And, of course, the timeless A-line shape is flattering on anyone.

I love ruffles, but so often you find them in overabundance. In this design I toned them down-- they are still there in all their glory, but a little more grown-up in the sparseness.

And then COLOR! Color is so bold and playful and jazzes up anything! In my drawings, I experimented with several different color combinations. The monochromatic green, shown in the very first image of this post, is my favorite and my "official" entry. This dress could easily be done in so many other ways. The darker shade could be on either the contrasting ruffles, or on the "wrap" part of the dress. The color can fade in shade, as seen in the "pink" drawing. Two or even three colors could be used. This dress could be made in monotone for a more sophisticated look!

[IMAGE]

Fabric
I checked the tag on a dress with material similar to what I was imagining- it was 95% polyester with some cotton and spandex. The fabric shouldn't have a sheen to it and should lay nicely, especially along the gathers.

Inspiration

The entry guidelines at Shabby Apple ask for design inspiration. Frankly, I didn't have anything in mind except general "springiness. " ^_^ I imagined a dress, sketched it out a few times, and finally decided that "Yes, this is something that I would wear!"

However, I can pick out a few things that inspired this dress-- or rather, things that inspire my imagination. 

The bright colors so popular in the European styles that I've seen.

The classic A-line dress, and RUFFLES!

And, of course, SPRING! 

And I might even go so far as to say that the top, with the front panel that crosses over, was inspired by a beautiful Indian sari that a woman at Wal-Mart was wearing!

I'm working on a fun drawing right now with a girl wearing this dress. :)