A dress worn by Sara Davies which caused a stir on the Baftas red carpet has found a new home in Cumbria.
Sara’s stunning handmade outfit was a wow at the May event and the celebrity crafter revealed on social media that it had been created in three days.
This weekend, the dress was worn by Jill Glencross, who was celebrating her 50th birthday at Rose Castle in Dalston, near Carlisle.
Jill said: “I follow Sara Davies on social media and when I saw her in the dress, I loved it.
“I have always loved red, especially when I was a brunette. I Googled who the designer was and got in touch with them to see if they could make me the same dress.
“There was only one dress made for her and they could not make another as the fabric was finished. They had another dress made in the fabric but I didn’t like it.
“After further conversations, they said I could buy the sample dress. I wasn’t sure exactly what they meant. They meant her actual dress! They made it for her to promote the designer but she had to give it back. I guess celebs don’t wear a dress a second time.”
Jill, an independent funeral director, said she was going to go to London to try it on, but couldn’t take the time off work.
Staff said they would post the dress to Cumbria – and when it arrived, Jill said it was practically perfect.
The only alteration it needed was to its length.
Jill added: “The lady who altered my wedding dress altered it for me. She also made my husband a bow tie in the fabric so we matched!”
Sara was trying on dresses for the Baftas at British designer Sassi Holford’s store and fell in love with a bridal gown.
Sara took to Instagram to say: “The moment I put it on, I felt like a princess. It instantly took me back 18 years to when I was wedding dress shopping for our big day! I completely fell in love with it.
“So then came the big question – could they make me one in time in a non-wedding fabric?”
The team told the entrepreneur they could make it happen and told her to choose a fabric. Within an hour they were making the dress.
Jill said wearing the dress was amazing. She added: “I felt like a princess. As the guests arrived I was in my room getting ready after a little drama of a forgotten make-up bag and getting the lining caught in the zip. It was very hot and I was in a flap. The guests arriving were waving up to me like the princess trapped in the tower!”
Around 120 people celebrated Jill’s birthday with her. Entertainment included casino tables, the Kerry Weir Band, DJs Amp and Dex and violinist Gill Wadeson.
