I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside

Having already looked behind the scenes of my latest photoshoot I would like to showcase the official photos by Guy Wood of Sirius Art (https://www.facebook.com/PhotoArt.By.Sirius?fref=ts).   Guy is backed by the Princes Trust like me and it was a pleasure to work with him.  He understood my thinking and worked along with my storyline adding his own twists as we went along.

Story so far –

Once upon a holiday time ………….

Arriving at your destination is always magical, the anticipation of a holiday, and the much needed rest and recupuration from the daily stress of life is looked forward to.

                             

Sitting in reception waiting for a room.

Exploring the hotel is always fun and revolving doors especially so.

Quick peep in the mirror

Wistfully looking through the window, hopeful that the weather will cheer up.

All dressed up and nowhere to go

Finally outside enjoying the beautiful view despite the rain.

Spa treatments are always good on holiday.

And what about a paddle in the inside pool.

A break in the clouds and the outside beckons, Sandbanks is so beautiful.

The sea looks inviting.

 

Typical English weather but still having fun, an evening walking on the promenade despite the rain.

Finally the rain proves too much and it is back into the hotel.

New Vintage at The Shelley Theatre

The Shelley Theatre  is situated in Boscombe Manor, Shelley Park, Boscombe and was bought by Sir Percy Shelley for his mother, Mary Shelley, authoress of Frankenstein.  After she died Sir Percy and his wife made Boscombe Manor their country home. A theatre was added to one end of the house which is now being renovated and used for various productions. Have a look at the work that is being done here at http://www.shelleytheatre.co.uk. We were lucky enough to be allowed to photograph one of our vintage inspired wedding dresses together with a small flower girl dress and we loved the way that the beautifully derelict background contrasted so well with the pristine white and blue of our dresses.  The dresses are inspired by the 1950’s and made in lace, satin and tulle, both button at the back as zips were not in general use until the late 1950s.  The fascinator was made to complement and is a circle of satin decorated with Swarovski pearls, blue feathers and lots of bridal veiling to make a proper birdcage veil which encloses the face, it fastens easily with a large clip on one side and a tiny one on the other decorated with an embellishment.

The theatre has at least three levels and this was a small room over the stage which probably was used as a dressing room.  The view is lovely out of the window.  The theatre is much bigger than you think with lots of twists and turns and there is plans to eventually make this into a wedding venue which will be fantastic.

The stairs are amazing, such beautiful wood and are in the corner of the stage leading up to the small room where we took the previous photos.

The stage is quite large and here you can see our lovely models, Tilly and Lois  making full use of it.

Our models had fun

They also had a dance:-

and played the piano

Off to the side of the stage there was another small room.

The mirrors work so well, obviously used for  make up and hair  in stage performances but add an extra dimension to our photos.  Here you can also see Lois’s hair, Jessica (my wonderful sister and hairdresser) did such a great job on both girls’ hair.

In the next photo you can see how well the fascinator sits on the head and is complemented by the hairstyle.

There is a lot of renovation work on the ground floor but in one area we found this superb armchair which proved to be an excellent backdrop for Lois.

The last photo of the morning we took outside.

As with the previous shoot, this was an unplanned extra and therefore there were no funds for a photographer.  I do like to be on the sidelines directing however I again picked up my camera with my mother this time taking photos from different angles and I am very pleased with the final result.

When designing a dress for either a real bride or a photo shoot, I like to think of what will suit the person best which includes their shape, their personality and their preferences.  On our website http://www.mimibespoke.com you can see real brides all dressed totally differently, all looking amazing because they all feel beautiful and happy in what they are wearing.  There are so many advantages in having a dress made just for you, from the fit right through to the finished look, a bride can really be proud in knowing that they had a part in designing their dream dress and it is genuinely one of a kind.

Made to measure

One of the important aspects of our small business is that we want our dresses to fit as well as they can so each individual feels good and looks lovely when wearing them and we are trying to make this a viable option for all through our made to measure service.  We do offer bespoke wear and this can be found at http://www.mimibespoke.com but for most people this would be used for very special occasions such as a wedding.

Made to measure should result in a very good fit however for this to happen we rely on the measurements we are given by the customer therefore we are using this blog to give hints and tips on measuring accurately.

The first requirement is a good quality tape measure and not an old one which has stretched and it is easier to measure with a tape which has a soft end.  Next you need to be wearing the underwear you are most likely to wear with this outfit and a friend to help you measure makes life easier and is much more accurate.  If you have to take your own measurements then one useful tip is to stand in front of a mirror to check that the tape measure is in the correct position but it is better if you can enlist reliable help.  Also you must measure over just  your underwear or a close-fitting garment for accuracy.

Measurements needed are:-

 

Where to measure

Bust – This is measured around the fullest part of your chest making sure that the tape stays level at the back

Under bust – Measure directly under the bust (not over a wired bra)

Waist – Not always easy to find but it is just below the lowest part of your ribs at the sides, there is a natural indentation between your hip bones and ribs

Hip – Measure around your widest part which is usually halfway down your bum (lower down than most people think), again make sure that the tape stays level all the way around

Across Back – Have a look at the diagram, think of a well fitting garment and you measure from where the sleeve seam would be about halfway down the armhole.

Across Front – Same as above but across the front, this is usually slightly smaller than across back

Sleeve length- With your arm bent measure from the top of the sleeve down to the wrist

Nape to waist – This measurement is from the base of the neck (locate the little bumpy bone) to the natural waist

For some garments we would also need to know the circumference of the upper arm and the length of skirt you would like.  Skirt lengths can be very difficult to work out, our average length is 23″ and on most people that comes just on the knee.  One way to check the length is to measure the skirt of a garment which is very similar to the one you are having made.

We measure a lot of people and with the correct measurements we can make garments which enhance, if you ‘suck it all in’ when you are being measured you can slice an inch or so off of the final figure however your garment is going to come out much too small.   We would just like to emphasise please use a good tape measure, take care that the tape measure stays level around the body and do not pull the tape tight, it should be taut against the body with one finger under the tape measure, also please stick to either inches or centimetres and do not mix the two.

One final reminder, write each measurement down as you take it, use the list below as a template:-

Bust

Under bust

Waist

Hip

Across Back

Across Front

Sleeve length

Nape to waist

And if you order from us, don’t be suprised if we ask for a photograph, it helps us greatly and also we may ask what size garment you usually wear as again it is helpful to us in completing your beautiful garment.