For people with inbuilt talent, often all it takes is one inciting incident to gain them unforeseen recognition and viral renown. For Ciara Gan of the Phillipines, that moment came with the worldwide explosion of interest in what has been described as her “masterpiece”. When Ciara’s mother urged her to use her talents in art to create her own high-school senior ball dress, she focussed her artistic skill and the result was so breathtaking that the whole world has taken notice.
Ciara is an avid artist and painter, so when she turned her talents to the sewing machine, it was a gamble.
A gamble, it turned out, that paid off. After Ciara initially hired someone else to design her dress but not to her satisfaction, she decided to take matters (and paintbrushes) into her own hands. She began to design a dress that would not only look gorgeous, but would be a true reflection of her personality and interests.
The benefit to designing your own dress, is that you can make it perfect for you.
Ciara has a love for Harry Potter (are you even a teenager in this era if you don’t?). As a member of one of the more nefarious houses of Hogwarts, Ciara chose a typical deep green for the main colour of the dress. As Ciara told Buzzfeed News, the things she chooses to incorporate into the design are the things which make her the happiest.
“As nerdy as it may sound, I chose emerald green because I’m an avid Potterhead and a proud Slytherin.”
Another interest of Ciara’s is paining flowers.
If you don’t believe me, just check out her Instagram page. While she paints everything from dogs to Harry Potter fan art, one common theme in Ciara’s work is the flowers she has such a talent for painting. So naturally, these flowers are a perfect design to overlay the emerald green of her dress. But which flowers to use?
Again incorporating the things that inspire her, Ciara chooses the perfect flower.
Namely, the Tiger Lily. No, not the Native American princess from Neverland, but the actual flower, inspired by one of her favorite books.
“I recently reread the book Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson (which touched my heart) and then decided to paint the orange florals,”
Again, rather than just choosing flowers that would look pretty on a dress, Ciara decided to express herself in her work:
“I strayed away from basic roses and dainty florals because although they’re pretty, they don’t reflect my personality. I love the vibrancy of loud colors like orange and green — they speak more about who I am.”
After starting with a white base layer, she painted the vibrant colours directly onto the fabric. Ciara has such a finely tuned eye for colour and design, that as her piece comes together you have to wonder how she has never made a dress before.
In the end Ciara’s dress is absolutely stunning. She looks gorgeous in it, not only because it is a masterpiece of a dress, but because it incorporates so much of the maker’s personality. Ciara’s mother was a big help in the fabrication of the dress, offering experience and an extra pair of hands…not to mention providing the initial push that Ciara needed to put her own skills to the test for this dress!
After Ciara tweeted about her ball dress the internet erupted with interest, leading to her appearing on Philippine television and being interviewed by websites the world over.
Watch Ciara’s video below to see this amazing dress come together!
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