Tuesday, May 3, 2011

La Petite Trianon Couture Apron

Hello friends...if you are new here, welcome.  If you are a returning visitor..happy to have you back again.
Today I would like to introduce my latest couture apron.
My inspiration for my newest apron is the beautiful French estate of Marie Antoinette, La Petite Trianon.

Image courtesy of Castles Crowns and Cottages Blog

Have you seen Sophia Coppola's movie depicting the life of the teenage Queen...it is visual eye candy.
When Marie was at her beloved Petite Trianon, she enjoyed a much more informal lifestyle...privileged still and lavish, but more casual.
Marie hated the constant peering of the French court.
While away from the formality of Versailles, Marie favored softer country frock type dresses, minus all the boning and stiff fabrics.
I'm drooling over this floor!
Kirsten's pretty cute too.
The fabrics used at Petite Trianon were a nod to Marie's love of pinks, pale blues and striking florals.
Fabrics from the estate
Gorgeous wallpaper from Petite Trianon.
That was my inspiration.
I found this dress for only $4.75 at my local Salvation Macy's and immediately knew I wanted to transform it. This is a Clues Collection dress with a New York/Paris tag...coincidence, I think not.
The pink..the flowers and the thin mother of pearl buttons all reminded me of a sitting room a Petite Trianon.
And so it began......
I didn't want to lose any fabric, so instead of cutting, I removed all the stitching with a seam ripper. It took a very long time because this dress had double seams and surging. 
Anyone need some pink thread???
I carefully removed the back of the dress from the waist up and made a straight cut up the middle of the back skirt. 
After tailoring the bodice, I cut an antique embroidered doily in half and pinned it to either side.
Very reminiscent of the lowcut, flounced bodices of the more common dresses worn at Petite Trianon.
I found a long antique dresser scarf with some gorgeous embroidery on either end. I cut that in half and sewed both of them on each hip to mimic the first layer of my hip bustles. My apron would have a total of three layers of fabric to create the bustles
Very feminine

Introducing...
La Petite Trianon Couture Apron

Her skirt wraps all the way around and she has a soft challis rose floral bodice tie. I used fabric from another thrifted skirt for the neck tie.
Of course she has a very long waistband/tie in the prettiest robins egg blue/rose print.
Marie Antoinette loved her pale blues and pinks.
The hip bustles were fashioned from the fabric I salvaged from the sleeves and back of the dress.
As a little nod to the Queens love of detail in her wardrobe, I embellished the waistband with some very pretty stitching...in pink of course!
Beautiful stitching
This is a closeup of the beautiful floral embroidery on each hip.
So there she is...the final touch was a tiny pink satin bow at the bodice.
I think Marie Antoinette would say
"J'adore mon nouveau tablier"

The gardens of Petite Trianon are not the only gardens that are blooming.
My tall bearded German iris', knockout roses and creeping phlox are all getting very showy
Marie would have loved this Iris..one of her favorite colors and the aroma is heavenly!
I love these  flowers for their show stopping regal beauty
I will never be able to replicate this kind of beauty.
Mother nature at her best.
Until next time...be kind and stay creative.

Sharing here this week





All Things Heart and Home
Between Naps On the Porch
Savvy Southern Style

34 comments:

Cindy said...

The apron is beautiful! I love the fabrics. And your irises are stunning. Ours are just starting to sprout from the ground here, but we're enjoying the daffodils and tulips.

Aprons and More said...

Ahh J'taime!! Merci beaucoup mon ami!

Katy :)
(pardon all grammatically incorrect french! It's been 30 yrs since french class!!)

The LadyBugs Garden said...

Oh Janet she is just so pretty..I mean the apron. Also your flower gardens are beautiful.

Kelly Ann said...

another pretty royal apron...fit for a queen...

Lydia Armstrong said...

Very cool, love the detail. Would be super pretty over a dress!

Marie @ Chocolate-Covered Chaos said...

It's beautiful! How creative!

Marie said...

Tres elegant!! This is one of your best yet.

Hugs - Marie

Julie Whitmore Pottery said...

Its so beautiful. i would feel like a queen myself wearing that.
xx
julie

Leslie said...

Love your apron! I see items all the time at my own salvation macy's (goodwill mostly) that I'd love to remake. However my sewing skills aren't as good as my ideas; I'm never sure technically how to achieve what I want to do when remaking something. Your sewing skills are so admirable! The iris photos are just lovely. And I hadn't seen the movie but I just added it to our netflix queue.

the treat girl said...

Miss! This is just LOVELY!!! I loooove the pretty pink stitching detail on the waistband. Of course I'll be wearing one of my pretty aprons on Mother's Day morning when I make a cinnamon struesel coffee cake for myself :)

Sherrie said...

Oh my goodness! This is adorable! What vision you have!

Annette said...

Janet, she is so pretty and feminine. I think the hip bustles are the perfect touch for this one. You did good! :) The photos are stunning!

Mindy said...

I am simply blown away by your awesome apron! How you ever looked at that dress and envisioned such a lovely work of art is far beyond me! Thank you so much for sharing it! This is my first time to visit your blog, but I'm sure I will be back.

Atelier Conti said...

I was really looking forward to seeing what you would do with that pretty dress you found awhile back...it certainly didn't take you long to transform it into a fabulous creation! I wonder if Kirsten follows your blog ;^P...if not she'll be sorry to have missed this creation. She'd look pretty spectacular in it! Love the iris Janet! Mine in front are close in color (and probably fragrance). I'm enjoying them so much right now.

Claire said...

Wow Janet, I love how you take garments and turn them into something wonderful like an amazing apron.

All the detail and the beautiful embroidery is just stunning. Love the MOP buttons.

Beautiful colours and hip bustles, who would've thought...........

Your garden is looking a picture too, love the blue of the Irises.

Bye the way Janet, what sort of apron do you wear in the kitchen?

Claire X

Wanda..... said...

So much to appreciate in the apron, Janet...all the extra details you include make it very special. Your lovely photos go beyond the normal too!

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

You are so brilliantly creative with your fabrics. It's such a pretty apron. And your garden is lovely too.

Tammy @BeatriceBanks said...

That has to be the prettiest apron I've ever seen! Amazing! You are so talented.
Your flowers are all beautiful too. Great photography!

Insensata! by Laura Sners said...

Hello Janet! this apron is wonderful! i love it!
and also your garden, is a dream come true.
Thanks for your comment in my blog!
I been following your blog, and I read every post via Google Reader, I din't miss anything!
XOXOX

Yvonne@StyleBurb said...

Wow- how talented are you that you can create this apron! The fabric is just lovely. Your pictures are amazing- they could be in a magazine!

Beth said...

Love the apron! And I do love the movie too. I agree with you about that room, drool drool drool. Informal luxury. We all love it! Apron deadline is 9/15/11, you should think about submitting this one : )

Kathy said...

This beyond cool! I am so impressed one of the best posts I've ever read, so unique what you did,I hope it lives in your family for generations! Your new best friend!

Unknown said...

Adorable!! What a wonderful idea ~ such a beautiful job!!

Kim @ Everything Etsy said...

Excellent post! Apronology all the way...baby! :)

~Kim

Kathleen Grace said...

Ooh la la! The apron is so much prettier than the dress was! Fabulous Janet!

KimMalk said...

This apron is so cute and so clever. I can't believe it's made out of repurposed items.

Holly Loves Art said...

Oh wow! This is a stunning creation to make any French girl (or any girl) swoon! Just love it and love your style!
Have a fantastic day.
Holly

Jennifer Juniper said...

I was really skeptical when you brought home that ugly dress! But you did it again - made something gorgeous with it!

Amy W. said...

I could have nevah imagined in a million years that your Sal-Macy's dress could be re-fashioned into a this runway knock-out! Just awesome you are!
Loved the pics of your flowers, especially your irises! My Irises are just showing their leaves coming up from the ground about 8 inches. Can't wait for the brilliant spring colors to start appearing!! Til then, it's so wonderful of you to share yours!!!
Thank-you!!!

Curtains in My Tree said...

Love the apron you could wear it for a sun dress
just close up the back door a little LOL

My iris are blooming beautiuful also

Leigh Powell Hines said...

That's beautiful.

Anonymous said...

The sumptuous costumes from that movie was a feast for the eyes. I ADORE your apron. Such a beautiful creation.

Dropping in from Jill's at Creating My Way to Success. Mila from http://hereundertherainbow.blogspot.com

WobiSobi said...

This is so amazing!! I am speechless
Anne

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