Couture means “sewing” in French and is the highest form of dressmaking. There are many places that claim to be couture or have couture in their names, but very few live up to the standards of that designation. It can take 200+ hours to complete a couture garment with some taking as many as 400 hours with multiple hands working on the garment.
At Trend, we strive to achieve equal or better levels of craftsmanship and dedication to the craft of dressmaking and bespoke as they do in the Couture Houses of Paris or the Tailoring Houses of Savile Row in London. This is reflected in the great deal of embroidery, beading and flower creation that went into this dress as well as many others. Several panels were decorated with silk black and white handmade flowers. The embroidery was done locally and spanned 24 hours over three days and was meant to mimic Chrysanthemum and Dendrobium orchid motifs.
Each flower was also made by hand from Japanese woven ribbons with blue Topaz, Hematite, and Moonstones beads at their center. Each flower had sixteen components with as many as thirty four for the larger Chrysanthemums. A draped panel of 4-fly silk of weight 16 Mommes (mm: the measurement for silk) was draped at the back and meant to hang over the flowing train. The piece was trimmed with scalloped lace pieces. The final touch was the tulle veil which was also custom and made to complement the design of the dress.
