My premiere Bleuette, Nadine, wears the Costume de Mariée. I actually finished it at the end of 2005, but had never done the jupon or slip that went with it, nor had I ever gotten the right pair of shoes to go with the dress. Now, 2½ years later, it is finally a complete ensemble. I worked on the embroidery off and on over an 18-month period. I think my eyesight got worse during that time! LOL

The wedding dress is made from silk shantung embroidered with silk floss that is a shade or two lighter than the fabric. The silk floss was a joy to work with and it has a beautiful sheen to it!

The guimpe is made from some lace that someone gave to me so I’m not totally sure if its vintage, but if not, it sure does pass for it! The little piece used for the collar is vintage.

The jupon that I just completed is made from the same tissue-thin silk that I lined the wedding dress with. I used a piece of a favorite vintage lace that I have been saving for some time. It is rather wide for Bleuette, but worked just right for the jupon since it can be wider there, and I didn’t want to cut it up. Perfect!

A disintegrating antique headpiece and a piece of vintage tulle found new life as Nadine’s headpiece and bouquet. As always, the entire ensemble was sewn by hand.

La Semaine de Suzette
1908 Costume de Mariée and Jupon

Upper Dress Detail

Dress Bottom – Embroidery Detail

Bouquet from antique headpiece

Jupon