This bustle dress features a striking combination of eight distinct prints, with 16 yards of custom-printed polyester twill used to bring the design to life. The fabric was digitally printed through the DTP Lab at LSU. Constructed as two separate pieces—a bodice and a skirt—the ensemble offers both structural integrity and visual complexity.

The bodice is richly detailed, featuring horizontal undulating pleats at the center front and vertical undulating pleats at the center back. These pleats are reinforced with a layer of luxury interfacing and flatlined to cotton muslin for added stability. Fully lined in muslin, the center-back yoke and waist panel are meticulously hand-slip stitched to the lining of the pleated back panel. Additional internal support comes from boning placed at the princess seams, side seams, and center front to accommodate the satin button loop closure. The bodice is finished with a stand collar, trimmed with a gathered lace ruffle and secured by a hook-and-eye closure. The front closure features ½-inch self-covered buttons. Semi-puff sleeves are gathered at the sleeve cap and finished with binding at both the seam allowance and cuffs, enhancing the garment's historical silhouette.

The skirt is composed of multiple panels, with the waistband and hip sections reinforced using luxury interfacing to support the full weight of the design. The front skirt is softly gathered into the hip panel, overlaid with two apron layers: one rectangular and one cowl-draped, creating dimensional layering. The back of the skirt is constructed from three gores and gathered into cartridge pleats. A large ruffle, also reinforced with interfacing, cascades from the center back and continues along the back side-skirt panels, adding both volume and movement.

At the hem, the front features a layer of vertical undulating pleats topped with a ruffled lace trim, while the back is finished solely with ruffled lace. The lace used throughout the look was custom-dyed using Rit synthetic fabric dye in shades of apricot orange and chocolate brown to harmonize with the garment’s palette. To complete the silhouette, I created a coordinating bum roll using the remaining printed fabric, providing the necessary volume and structure to support the bustle shape.