On Monday we attended the White Rose Awards at the Leeds Arena. It is the largest celebration of tourism excellence in the UK. The dress code was black tie. I didn’t need any more encouragement than that to fire up my creative juices and make a new frock!
I’ve already written a post about my first and second muslin of the new Wren dress pattern from Colette. I had 5m of this sparkly silvery ponte knit from Minerva. I originally bought 2m to make my sister a coco for her birthday but then couldn’t resist and had to buy some more for me.
I intend to write a full post later about the nitty gritty of the other changes I wanted and also needed to make to the pattern so it would be perfect for my chosen fabric and the occasion!
This post is all about the finished dress and the awards ceremony.
All dressed up and somewhere to go!! Hubby scrubs up well too, don’t you think?!
Wahay! Look at that thigh high spit! Best be careful how I sit, don’t want to be doing a Sharon Stone!
I felt amazing in my new dress and it was reassuring to know that no one else there would have a dress like mine! With one thousand guests attending i bet there weren’t many others who could say that!
Check out those sheer sleeves! Think they’re my favourite part.
The extra length and the sway back adjustment ensured a perfect fit on the back bodice.
Got a bit carried away with the photo shoot!
For the eagle eyed amongst you, have you noticed my hair’s different that the photo with the hubby? I did my hair and makeup and took some more pix today with the help of the tripod and the zapper.
So now a few pics from the night…….
Here’s me doing the local park run!!
Our table, chocca block with cutlery, glasses…. AND WINE!
Special Guests……. The Original Calendar Girls from the Women’s Institute in Knapely.
They were celebrating the opening of a new musical inspired by their story:
image from the leeds grand theatre, click on the image to be taken to their website and buy tickets!!
Then we had 2 more special guests!! Gary Barlow (needs no introduction) and Tim Firth who had both written songs for the new musical.
And they both got made honorary Yorkshire men!
There were other special guests – Leeds Rhinos Rugby players and Yorkshire Cricketers.
I had a selfie with Alex Lees – one of the young and handsome cricketers.
And some bloke from Emmerdale. No idea who he is but the table next to us were all from Emmerdale and he was the best looking!
The food was amazing, especially the pudding. I can’t believe they dished up a thousand of these!!
After the awards and dinner we danced and drunk wine until the early hours.
And boy was I glad to get my shoes off when I got home!
With a hubby who is 11 inches taller than me I need some help in the height stakes!
Click HERE to see Stay tuned later in the week when I’ll be post how I altered the pattern to make it maxi length and other changes too.
T H I M B E R L I N A 
You both look marvelous darling!
Aw thankyou! I just love an excuse to get dressed up and wear a frock! 🙂
Whoh, that’s a high split! You are way braver than me. You can totally pull it off though – you look stunning Ali – and I love love love those sheer sleeves. What a fantastic do – you do live the high life!
Thanks Anne! I don’t really, my hubby’s firm (where he works not his!!) support Visit Yorkshire so they paid for a table. Could get used to it though! 😃
Oh wow! You look absolutely fantastic!! Looks like a great night out!! 💝💝
Thankyou! It was fab! And the guy from Emmerdsle is single, got his number for you! 😉
Brilliant!!!! 😘😘😘😘❤️❤️❤️❤️😘😘😘😘😘
Wow you look amazing. I didn’t think this pattern would be all that for a formal occasion…but it totally works in that fabric. Lovely.
Thankyou! It’s amazing how fabric choice and a bit of tweaking can change the look of a dress 🙂
Wow. Just wow. How amazing to have an individual dress for an occasion like that. You both look like you had a great time. Well done K xXx
Aw thanks Karen! It was a great night, just wish we could do it all again! xx
Well look at you! All fancy and gorgeous! You both do indeed, clean up well. What a great time you must have had…and how fantastic to have created that beautiful dress yourself. 🙂
Thankyou! I still can’t quite believe I’ve done it! Sometimes when i’ve made something I look back and think ‘I can’t have made that!’ 🙂
Wow, stunning! Those sheer sleeves are perfect. Looks like a great night!
Thankyou! I was so pleased with the sleeves, this time now the weathers cooler the arms are a bit pasty to be on show. 🙂
You look amazing!!!! Super gorgeous wren! Worth all the fitting!
Thankyou, bit of a difference to the drapy dress!! Need more posh dos now to go to! My sisters borrowing this tomorrow to do to a black tie do. Neither of us has had ones for yonks and yonks and now we both have one in the same week. Luckily the fitting adjustments are spot on for her too! 🙂
Great fit you’ve got on that dress now, the sway back and bodice length adjustments you did are perfect.
Thankyou! Was lucky with the choice of length I adjusted the bodice – 4 cm just happened to be the width of the ruler! 😉
You look absolutely stunning! The dress is amazing especially with the thigh high split!
Thanks Corrine, the legs are toning up with all the running so can just pull it off! 😉
Your dress is gorgeous!!!!! You both look so nice. The event really looked like so much fun. And your dress is gorgeous!!!!! Isn’t it fun to know that you are wearing an original. Can’ wait to learn more about how it came about.
thanks Robyn, a couple of the other ladies know I sew but were surprised when they found out I’d made this one which was great to hear. I’m just gathering the pix together for the next post – there’s quite a few! 🙂
Hi! Love that last sepia-toned photo of you-very pretty and your dress looks fab on you! I enjoy your blog and sewing escapades very much!
Thanks Anne for the lovely comments, so glad you’re enjoying my blog :-).
Nicely done! You look gorgeous! And you are absolutely right, your dress is one of a kind!
Thanks Linda, I just love frocks and getting dressed up! Probably because it’s such a change from my uniform and steel toe cap boots! 😉
Just wow! The high life suits you! Sheer sleeves are my favourite too!
Thanks Hila! that’s it for a while now tho, it’ll be ages before I need to get proper dressed up again. I’ve thought I might shorten it to knee length so I can get more were out of it 🙂
It looks a lot of fun and a fab dress! I love that sepia picture of you, it looks like a professional shoot!
Thankyou! but no, it was just me, the tripod and the zapper to fire off the camera! 🙂
Very glamorous! Perfect choice of dress for what looked like a very formal evening. A chance to rub shoulders with the stars too – how exciting!
Thanks Shelia! Was fab, and formal until I hit the dance floor, lol 😉 It’s amazing how wine improves my dance moves even in high heals!
I can imagine- I’m exactly the same, dancing on oblivious of the broken toe sustained by tripping in said heels. Oh, the pain the next morning at breakfast in the hotel….
Breakfast….? I didn’t get up until 12! We ate out lunch and tea – couldn’t face cooking. but on a positive note we went to the new Bond movie and I stayed awake!
You certainly do scrub up good. Gorgeous! And thanks for sharing your evening with us.
Thanks Bekkie, you’re welcome! Shame you all couldn’t come too! 🙂
Just fabulous! You’ve completely nailed that dress! Looked like a great evening!
It was fab Lucie, thankyou! 🙂
What a fabulous dress! You two are a fabulous couple, you look very dressed up and spiffy together!
Aw thanks Abigail, that’s a lovely comment 🙂
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Stunning Ali! It sounds as though you gave the dress a good night out 😉
It was amazing, wish I could do it all again! 😃
The penultimate photo is my favourite – the sepia one – you look a little like Jean Shrimpton in it! Well done you on such a successful frock – a complete triumph Dahling!
Why Thankyou! What a wonderful compliment (tho’i did have to google Jean Shrimpton and I am truly flattered!). 😃
You look stunning, what a gorgeous dress. You should be so proud of yourself. Amazing night out too! I love the sleeves as well. How you have another fabulous event to wear it to!
Thanks Beth, I felt amazing in it and it was comfy too with it having a little stretch 😀
Gawjus frock, the sleeveses are terrific, and you look amazeballs!
Thanks Fiona! I felt amazeballs!! 😀
Beautiful dress!
Thankyou 😀
Gorgeous! You should be so proud of making something so beautiful for such a special evening. Love that fabric too ❤️
The fabrics fab, I’ve another 2m, just can’t decide what to make with it!
Working backwards again! Was hoping there’d be one of you in it too. Looking seriously fab! Love this on you! And of course you needed to go overboard on the photos for this, would have been a shame not to… A real classic too, bet you’ll have this for years 🙂
Thanks Teresa! It’s definitely my favourite ever dress! But I’m thinking I’ll shorten it so I’ll get more wear out of it. 😀
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wow you look stunning! well done on the dress is soo lush! 🙂
Thankyou! I must admit I do like to get dressed up and wear a frock when given the chance! 😀
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Fabulous dress, and how nicely does that back fit!
Thankyou! Making the 2 Muslins definitely paid off 😃
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