Alright, let me tell you about this wild journey I had trying to figure out this “Hailey Van Lith dress” thing. Saw some buzz online and thought, “Hey, why not?” So, here’s the whole shebang, start to finish.
First things first, the hunt. I started by just googling “Hailey Van Lith dress”. I mean, duh, right? Tons of images popped up. Looked like she wore a few different dresses at different events, so that narrowed it down a little. I was trying to figure out which one people were actually talking about.
Next up: deep dive. I scrolled through articles, fan pages, and even some shady-looking fashion blogs. Ended up finding some grainy pics from her appearances at awards shows and games. Not super helpful, but slowly building a picture, ya know?
The Material Stuff: I found a dress that I felt was the closest. I then went out and bought the material. I picked up some fabric that looked similar and started playing around.
The Cutting Game: After finding the right material, I took my measurements and just went for it. Cutting fabric is always a little scary, but hey, gotta commit, right?
Sewing Time: I have this ancient sewing machine that my grandma gave me. Dusting it off, threading the needle (which took forever), and just started piecing things together. A lot of seam ripping happened, I’m not gonna lie. My skills aren’t the best. Haha!
The “Oh Crap” Moment: Midway through, I realized the sleeves were totally wrong. Way too puffy. Had to completely redo them. Seriously considered giving up and ordering takeout at this point.
Finishing Touches: Added some detailing. Nothing crazy, but a few little tweaks to make it look a little more Hailey-esque.
The Big Reveal: Finally, it was done. Was it perfect? Nah. Did it look vaguely like the dress I was going for? Absolutely. I tried it on, snapped a pic, and felt a weird sense of accomplishment.
What I Learned: Okay, so I’m definitely not a professional designer. This project took way longer than I thought it would, and I made a ton of mistakes. But honestly? It was kinda fun. Plus, now I have a (slightly wonky) dress to show for it. Would I do it again? Maybe. But next time, I’m buying a pattern first.
