Stroke of Genius

Casting actress Katrina Bowden in the role of prom queen, designer Jason Wu shows how to turn a plain dress into a work of art.

By Jane Keltner

March 9, 2008

1/6
Step 1: short cut
Using scissors, snip the bubble hem from the bottom of the dress to make it shorter; then discard.
2/6
What You’ll Need
cotton dress (from edressme.com) scissors, needle, and white thread two yards of horsehair trim hot glue gun flat paintbrush and black fabric paint one yard of black grosgrain ribbon

3/6
Step 2: full story
With the needle and thread, sew the horsehair trim around the inside of the hem to add flounce.
4/6
fade to black
Paint the bottom half of the skirt with horizontal strokes, using less paint as you go up so the fabric peeks through.

5/6
cinch the deal
Cut the straps off the dress and tie the grosgrain ribbon around the waistband, with the bow in back.
6/6
the results
Now you're ready to step out in style in your one-of-a-kind creation!

Keywordsjason wu dresses diy

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