You want to add padding where?!

Like the Dior Bar Suit, this design has a very exaggerated peplum, and that kind of false silhouette requires a foundation.

Even though the suit has a soft shoulder line, I did make myself a pair of shoulder pads.  Without them, the bodice looked a bit sad and deflated.  Anything with a tailored look is going to need a pair.

I have a very prominent posterior and hips to match, so the idea of padding out that area might seem ridiculous.  But think of it like this . . . the waist looks smaller and smaller the larger the hips get. 

I was not quite sure how I was going to do the hip pads, though.  After studying this video, I went to some original source material.  Hip pads!

And let’s be honest – you could probably slice your skin open on the hip bones of some runway models, so a bit of padding is probably a good idea.

I started with some cotton batting, and the idea that I was looking for something between a shoulder pad and a bust pad.

And while rummaging through a drawer with salvaged shoulder pads, I came across a pair that could be used on a linebacker's uniform.  I could feel that there were two separate pads under the cover, so I cut them open and found the perfect foundation for my hip pads!  Time saver!

I added a bit of quilting batting and covered with my fashion fabric.  This is probably the least elegant sewing of the entire project, but I was in a hurry, and they work, so no harm done, right?

The instructions suggest placing them directly over the hip bones, which seemed like it might be too far out to the side, but in the end, that was exactly where they needed to be.

The peplum is also reinforced along the edge.  The pattern suggests using millinery wire, but I wanted to help hold up all of the extra weight of the added beads, so I used a wide horsehair braid layered with a thinner version at the hem edge.

The edges were folded over and hand stitched into place.

And then I pulled out my previously hemmed drape pieces.

And finally, a lining covers all of the raw edges.