Okay, so you guys know I’m obsessed with the Met Gala. Every year, I try to recreate at least one look, and 2018’s “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” was just iconic. This year, I decided to tackle Ariana Grande’s Vera Wang gown. It was ambitious, I know, but I was feeling it!
First things first, I started hunting for inspo pics. I needed all the angles, the details โ everything! Google, Pinterest, you name it, I scoured it. I ended up saving like a hundred photos just to get a good grasp of the dress’s structure, the color palette, and all those little embellishments.
Fabric shopping was the next big hurdle. I wanted something that had that same ethereal, cloud-like quality as Ariana’s dress. I finally settled on a few different types of tulle in varying shades of gray and a really delicate, almost iridescent, silver fabric for the bodice. Let me tell you, that silver fabric was pricey, but I figured it was worth it to get that sparkle just right.
The bodice construction was probably the trickiest part. I didn’t have a pattern, so I basically draped the fabric onto a dress form, pinning and adjusting until I got the shape I wanted. There was a lot of trial and error involved, and a few moments where I almost threw the whole thing out the window, haha. But I kept at it, and eventually, it started to resemble something wearable.
Then came the fun part: all the little details! Ariana’s dress had this incredible print of Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment” on it. I obviously couldn’t recreate that exactly, so I found a high-res image online and had it printed onto fabric. I then carefully cut out sections of the print and appliqued them onto the skirt of the dress. It took hours, but it was so worth it!
I spent days hand-sewing crystals and beads onto the bodice and skirt to give it that extra bit of sparkle. My fingers were so sore by the end, but I was determined to get every last detail right. I even added some little silver stars that I found at a craft store, just to give it a touch of extra whimsy.
The last step was the train. I wanted it to be dramatic and flowing, just like Ariana’s. I layered different shades of tulle to create a gradient effect and then attached it to the back of the dress. It was seriously HUGE, but it looked amazing! I felt like a freaking cloud walking around in it.
So, yeah, recreating Ariana’s Met Gala dress was a massive undertaking, but it was also one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever done. It’s definitely not perfect, but I’m super proud of how it turned out. And honestly, wearing it made me feel like a total queen!
- Finding the right fabrics: A pain, but crucial.
- Bodice construction: Prepare for frustration.
- Details, details, details: Time-consuming, but worth it!
Would I do it again? Absolutely! Already brainstorming next year’s look! ๐
