Thoughts on the dress
I still can’t really believe it’s finished. I started this project almost 2 years ago and it was supposed to be a „quick one for in between“. But in the end it was long and time-consuming, but I learned a lot in the process.
I wore the dress back in march in Venice, even in the former home of Marianno Fortuny and his wife Henriette – the Palazzo Fortuny – which is now a museum.
It was a special moment for me since I’ve been to Venice countless times but never managed to visit the museum thanks to Covid and the Acqua Granda in 2019.
And this time, I was greeted by a huge video screen at the airport with the Palazzo Fortuny advertisement.
The museum was very lovingly designed and the museum ladies were absolutely thrilled with my dress. They even asked if it’s a real one.
One thing was pretty interesting, it was a bit wet the day I wore the dress and the hem survived all of that without loosing the pleating.
What would I do differently today?
First of all, I would choose a different length. Either longer or a lot shorter. Shorter would be practical, of course, because it’s easier to walk around, but longer would have been more elegant. I also think that the fabric did shrink a bit due to the boiling water I used.
My second point would be to experiment with the albumen finish after all. The starch did a good job of keeping the folds in shape, but I think it could be better and the pleats could be tighter.
I would also try working with a satin next time in the hope that the dress would shine more – like the originals. And I would leave out my ironed ’stripes‘. Maybe you could also fix the silk more permanently with perm fluid. But that would be a project for the distant future.
Here are some photographs my sister took of me with the patience of a saint!
