Design Process,   Fitting Process,   Design Sources,   Understanding Colour

How much will it cost? Please use the web-site as a starting point for evaluating costs, according to style - even if you do not want a reproduction of an existing design. I think it will soon be clear that quantities and type of fabric needed, and amounts and type of embellishment relate to overall price. Fabrics vary in cost from plain chiffon at the most affordable, via hand woven dupions, machine woven dupions, crepes, taffetas, satins to embroideries as the most expensive. With many variables in between! Lace can be one of the most expensive items to incorporate, but will again depend on type. NB. The prices shown do not, of necessity, relate to that paid by the bride/ dancer shown. (That is kept private!) Time may have moved on since the gown was made and lots of variables may have changed since the wedding/ performance. (Please look at the Classical Tutu category on the menu for more information about tutu costs). I noticed an interesting explanation for wedding gown costs on a recent blog by a fellow-maker. They said that because they were frequently buying short lengths, making one-off wedding gowns for clients, they had to buy fabric at retail prices (in high street shops and department stores) and consequently charge for doing so! This maker seperated wedding gowns into the factory manufactured kind, where fabric can be bought in bulk and dresses sold cheaply on the high street; and dressmaking where fabric can only be purchased as an expensive one off, therefore resulting in an expensive dress. How strange...! I purchase my silk fabrics and velvets, lace trims, ribbons, beads, boning and interlinings, all from specialist, long-established UK companies who often weave and dye their own fabrics. Most of my tutu nets are fom British mills, with the occasional American import for a specific colour or weight. I have an on-going relationship with these companies and purchase my fabric as a professional at trade price, not retail, which is around a third less. One of my main suppliers lets me buy as little as 20cm at a time of silk, which more often than not arrives as a 50cm length: often more. Loyalty pays! If you wish to take advantage of this to purchase additional fabric for your bridesmaids etc. you too can buy these silks at trade price. I'm afraid this offer only applies if you are having your gown designed here. I'm afraid I do not sell tutu net on.

On the whole, I tend to keep construction costs seperate from the fabric - this way you can see how a gown's costs will vary according to the fabric you choose. Do ask if you are curious for a quote on any design listed "plus fabric". (For example "Lily" in silk taffeta is a couple of hundred pounds more than the same design in silk dupion). I gather I obtain many of my silks from the same supplier as Vivienne Westwood, which, I hope vouches for their quality. Don't look at the prices on rolls of fabrics in John Lewis to estimate costs - coming direct from the same suppliers, my fabrics are often a third of department store prices. I can usually give you a reasonable idea of possible fabric costs at the consultation (or even beforehand if you know the specific fabric you would like to be used). I will give you an accurate quote within days of the consultation. I will guide you towards fabrics which will work for the design you are considering, and will definitely say if a fabric is inappropriate and will not work.

I love, love, love! all embellishment work - manipulating textiles, beading, and appliqué so tend to undercharge for this - especially on tutus. While I can appreciate the beauty and skill behind a perfectly tailored gown or costume, devoid of decoration, I can't help simply loving the depth and interest it gives to an item. The light reflections created by swarovski crystals are irresistible, and the variations according to natural or artificial light are fascinating..! How long does it take to make a wedding dress? (Taken from the FAQ - highly relevant to costs) If made non-stop, a basic gown - corset bodice and full skirt- will take about a week of working un-interrupted eight hour days (40 - 50 hours). A more complicated order with foundation petticoats and hoops, decoration or intricate detailing, will take two to three weeks. It is something of an urban myth that a wedding gown should take months and months to complete; perhaps this idea has arisen from the tradition of gowns being made by the bride herself, or by a self-taught friend or relative who constucts the dress alongside a day job. (Or by shop-made gowns which may take months to order). It would be interesting to spend so long, working intermittently, but to be honest, apart from not being commercially practical, I naturally work at great speed when I am enthused by a fresh design. I'm not very good at intermittant application; I need to totally immerse myself in an order - not spread myself thinly. Some designers/dressmakers say they will devote many weeks or months to your gown and then charge accordingly! I have seen makers proudly say that a fairly basic gown they are advertising took 150 hours to make "and this is why it costs so much"; pointing out how little they are earning per hour. Perhaps, if they have never worked in the professional world of fashion, theatre, or film, they have never had to achieve the speed of a maker in the real world (jobs in the top fashion houses and major theate companies are highly coveted and there is much competition. A slow worker is unlikely to mantain their position for long). It dosn't seem quite right to pay over-the-top prices for work that has simply been produced very slowly, by someone with little experience or slow habits. Prices quoted for made-to-measure couture gowns relate to one to four appointments. Depending on where you are travelling from to meet me, this might be several short appointments of equal length - around one and a half hours - or one lengthy initial consultation (maximum three hours), combined with toile fitting, followed by one or two short fittings (forty minute-ish). These arrangements are variable for your convenience: how much you enjoy travelling(!) and how close you are to my base at that time. If you should wish to have four to (absolutely maximum) six appointments, each appointment, from fourth to sixth, will be an additional £1000. The only likely reason for so many appointments would be due to sudden weight loss or late requested design changes. My level of experience means I do not need to trouble you to visit six times. More than three visits is rarely necessary, but if you wish to do this I am more than happy to pre-plan it into my diary. Your order will, inevitably, cost more than the web-site quoted charges. Ironically, it is other people's work ("the market") that, in part, dictates my prices. I may have a "reasonable" overall price for a gown in my head as I construct a new sample. This is, more often than not, mainly affected by the time taken to make a gown. However, as soon as I see something similar on another site, by another maker, for a bigger price, (but with an obvious lack of quality of workmanship: wrinkled, badly fitted bodices and machined hems..) what can I do but increase my prices?....