Midnight Cascade Gown

THE HERO PIECE OF THE COLLECTION — SCULPTED CORSET, CASCADING ROSETTES, A BLOOM HEM.

This was the standout design from my Adobe Illustrator class — the piece I built the rest of the eveningwear collection around. I wanted to see it in real fabric, not just on screen, so I draped it using cream curtains I'd found at Fashion Institute of Florida. The whole thing came together in about three days, with all the roses hand-sewn.

I was short on time — I'd also made Shadow Blossom, a swimsuit, a bikini, and a pair of sandals around the same period — so when I realized the curtain's existing hem could just become the gown's hem, I took it. No extra finishing needed.

Shadow Blossom came later, made from the same leftover curtain fabric.

DESIGNING THE MOVEMENT

The whole thing started with one word: movement. I didn't want the roses sitting stiff on the dress like decoration — I wanted them to wrap and sweep like they were dancing with whoever wore it. The bodice came together with clean seams and a sweetheart neckline, sketched digitally first so I could work out the fit and structure before ever touching fabric. Then a wide A-line skirt with a floral border to ground all that movement.

BEHIND THE SEAMS

The fabric came from the most unlikely place — cream curtains I found tucked away at fashion school. It still makes me smile that something this dramatic started from something so ordinary.

I draped the gown straight onto a dress form, letting the fabric tell me where it wanted to go, then spent hours hand-stitching every single rose on. This dress alone took about five days, nine hours a day — and it was one of four pieces I made in eight days total for the same shoot, alongside Shadow Blossom and two swimwear pieces. Every flower on every piece was hand-sewn.

It felt endless at times. But watching it go from old curtains into an actual finished gown was one of the best parts of the whole project.

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