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Inspired by vintage book covers and other unexpected materials, French designer Sylvie Facon creates unique evening gowns

Goran Blazeski

Bringing a fairy tale world to life proves to be an extremely difficult task for most of us, but there are some people out there who have the power to merge the worlds of fantasy and reality thanks to their artistic talents and exceptional skills. French creator Sylvie Facon, whose gowns are most certainly designed to evoke fairy-tale imaginings, is without a doubt one such individual.

Hommage à Arras (“Homage to Arras”) – Photo: Sylvie Facon
Hommage à Arras (“Homage to Arras”) – Photo: Sylvie Facon

On more than one occasion, we have witnessed designers utilize a non-conventional material as the fabric to create some of the most remarkable gowns in the world of fashion. So far, we have learned that gown materials can include everything from everyday items to recycled materials, but French creator Sylvie Facon definitely brought the use of unusual materials in gown design to a whole new level by creating some of the most unorthodox dresses ever designed.

Evening gown with a bodice crafted from the spines of old books – Photo: Sylvie Facon
Evening gown with a bodice crafted from the spines of old books – Photo: Sylvie Facon

True artists and designers, among whom Sylvie Facon apparently holds a very special place, always know how to surprise their admirers. This time, Sylvie Facon, with the help of costume designer Morgane E. Grosdemange, sewed several beautifully detailed evening gowns by using unconventional materials such as spines of old texts.

Evening gown with a bodice crafted from the spines of old books – Photo: Sylvie Facon
Evening gown with a bodice crafted from the spines of old books – Photo: Sylvie Facon

The extremely talented French designer creates the gowns from sketch to the final product by masterfully combining fine arts with the glamorous world of high fashion. The result of Facon’s clever combination is the creation of her detailed gowns that not only have the power to highlight the beauty of various ordinary objects but also serve as storytellers, which sets them apart from any other evening gown.

Evening gown with a bodice crafted from the spines of old books – Photo: Sylvie Facon
Evening gown with a bodice crafted from the spines of old books – Photo: Sylvie Facon

Literary enthusiasts will surely love Facon’s gown with a bodice crafted from the spines of old books. It took her around 250 hours of hard work to finish the gown but all efforts seem to be justified when one sees the final product. The designer assures that the spines had already fallen off the old books before she transformed them into gown materials.

Violin dress – Photo: Sylvie Facon
Violin dress – Photo: Sylvie Facon

Facon also designed a dress that pays tribute to music. A true symphony of textile, this utterly beautiful evening gown has a violin illustrated on the bustier that clearly highlights the artistic talent and the exceptional designing skills of Sylvie Facon.

Perhaps the most elaborate of all of her gowns is Hommage à Arras (“Homage to Arras”), which pays tribute to the town of Arras, the historic center of the Artois region, that has been included in the official list of French Towns of Art and History after the old-town center was restored.

Violin dress – Photo: Sylvie Facon
Violin dress – Photo: Sylvie Facon

A closer look is required for one to be certain that Facon’s dress actually features detailed depictions of both the historical and artistic monuments of the French town of Arras. From its restored baroque old-town center to the beautiful facades built in a generally ‘Flemish’ style and its Medieval statues, the designer, who is clearly inspired by Arras’ architecture, managed to masterfully incorporate everything for which this historic town is known worldwide.

Violin dress – Photo: Sylvie Facon
Violin dress – Photo: Sylvie Facon

Sylvie Facon’s intricate fairy tale-like evening gowns also include the floral garden dress and Robe “Hommage à l’Automne” (“Tribute to Fall Dress”) which is an interpretation of an illustration by the French illustrator Didier Graffet, widely known for his steampunk themed work.

Floral garden dress – Photo: Sylvie Facon
Floral garden dress – Photo: Sylvie Facon

Of course, this is just a small part of Facon’s work and if you are interested to see and learn more about her magical world of fairytale-like gowns you can visit her website or Instagram profile.

Related story from us: Artist transforms old computer parts and electronics into delicate winged insect sculptures

Each of Facon’s gowns tells a unique story and remind us that even objects that look ordinary to many people can be transformed into great works of art.

Goran Blazeski

Goran Blazeski is one of the authors writing for The Vintage News