My professor told me to NEVER use polyester for a formal gown and I should have listened

For my final design project, I made a full length evening dress with this cheap polyester satin I found online. Professor Davis said it would look cheap and not drape right, but I thought she was just being a snob about fabrics. The dress looked okay on the mannequin, but when my model wore it for the photoshoot, it just hung there like a stiff plastic bag and you could see every single seam pucker. I wasted $85 on that fabric and three full days of work. Now I'm scrambling to remake it in a silk blend with only a week left. Has anyone else had a fabric choice completely ruin a piece?

2 comments

2 Comments

mia4422d ago

Ugh, didn't I just read an article about how polyester satin can be a total trap for formal wear? They said it reflects light in this harsh, cheap way that silk never does, and it holds every wrinkle from shipping. Like, you can steam it forever and it still looks like you pulled it from a crumpled ball. Makes total sense why your seams puckered, that stuff has no give.

dakotam172d ago

Oh man, @mia442, you are so right. I saw a video where someone compared a polyester satin dress to a real silk one under bright lights, and the difference was crazy. The polyester looked almost plastic, like a shiny trash bag, while the silk just had this soft glow. And yeah, the wrinkling thing is no joke. I had a poly satin shirt once that came in the mail, and I swear I could have ironed it for an hour and those creases from the package would not budge. It just doesn't breathe or move like a natural fabric. Total trap is the perfect way to put it.