When you are a flight attendant with a sewing-passion, there is a special moment of delight when your airline is throwing a gala night, and the invitation says “formal/ cocktail dress code”. The party is to thank us employees, but I also have to thank them for giving me yet another excuse to sew something fabulous and fun! You know by now, my husband and I LOVE a gala night!
Naturally, I wanted to create a dress inspired by aviation. I discovered a beautiful fabric on Spoonflower by Wren Layland
The fabric features realistic looking blue and white clouds, printed on a large scale as shown below.
Since spoonflower fabric tends to be a bit expensive, I limited myself to 2 yards of this in a shiny satin fabric, perfect for evening wear. I knew I had 2 different blue satin fabrics in my stash to pair with it to extend the yardage.
My next trick was finding a sewing pattern I liked which could be accommodated with only 2 yards of fabric. I chose McCall’s 7654 because I liked how I could easily mix and match variations on the sewing pattern to create different dress options. I liked the strapless bodice with fitted and flounced off the shoulder sleeves, and the pencil skirt. In the end, I decided to omit the sleeves.
Additionally, I planned to make another cummerbund like the pink one worn here (the dress I made for The Dressmaker’s Ball 2023) , this time in a blue solid satin which would compliment the cloud fabric.
Big cummerbund sashes at the waist, are one of my favorite “forgotten” trends from the 50’s/ 60’s. Below are a few examples of the inspiration.
Butterick 7943 is the sewing pattern I used for the cummerbund
I also wanted to make a matching fascinator hat for the theme. After having met British Milliner, Stephen Jones, during Transatlantic Fashion Week several years ago, I have been inspired by him ever since! You will find that most formal gala events I find a reason to make a hat! This is made of a paper plate, darted to create a teardrop coned shape, and covered in fabric. I added white pom poms for clouds, and a little sparkle and rhinestones for flair. I pinned my airplane brooch to the cloud! On the underside are two alligator hair clips so I can affix it to my head.
The Aviation Gala was a blast! We had so much fun, and it was so elegant! Steak dinner, drinks, dancing, a live band, a “red carpet” photo, and even a 360 video booth.
