Woman creates gorgeous dresses based on her grandmother's fashion sketches from 1940
Her grandmother had dreams of becoming a fashion designer. Now, those dreams are being brought to life.
So, so gorgeous.
A 27-year-old woman named Julia has the internet completely enthralled with her gorgeous, elegant handmade dresses—based entirely off of designs her grandmother Georgie made in the 1940s.
The dresses themselves are a marvel to behold, but it’s watching grandma’s reaction to seeing her creations come to life that really tugs at the heartstrings.
As Julia shared on TikTok, Georgie once had dreams of becoming a fashion designer and even went to school for it. She never finished her studies, however, and instead dropped out to support her family, seemingly never looking back.
Julia told Insider that she had never even seen glimpses of her grandmother’s work until January 2021, since Georgie never saw them as “anything special.” But when Julia finally did see those sketches, she was floored."I knew grandma was talented, but I was like, wow, these are really much better than what I was envisioning in my head,” she said.
@boringbb This video was taken down at 10k for ‘child safety.’ Pls help get this trending again. #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound - ashley trinh
And neither could the internet. Julia’s video of the drawings went viral online, with people declaring that Georgie had a God-given talent that needed to be brought to life.
Despite having very little sewing experience, Julia agreed to the task. Relying on YouTube tutorials and scrap material from Georgie’s old fabric collection, Julia brought her grandmother’s designs to life in quite literally glorious fashion.
Here’s one below:
@boringbb Which one should I make next? Yesterday grandma said “I lived long enough to see one of them come off the paper” I don’t think it should stop with this dress #grandmasoftiktok #vintagefashion #sewingforyoupage ♬ Dreamy - Elijah Lee
In each video, Julia reveals the finished gown to Georgie, who is always delightfully astonished and oh so grateful.
Though Julia does her best to perfectly match her grandmother’s vintage designs, sometimes she adds a modern twist. Like the ball gown (below) that transforms into a mini dress.
@boringbb This is the 4th grandma design I’ve created. It was by far my hardest project I’ve ever done. I’ll be posting more videos about this dress throughout the week, but this is grandmas reaction to seeing her work come to life. #grandmareacts #suprise #fashiondesign ♬ original sound - Julia
"That is absolutely stunning. And I thank you because that's just lovely and it feels so nice to see something that I drew so many, many years ago," Georgie could be heard saying in the video.
Another dress is a double whammy, as it both shows off Georgie’s favorite color (yellow) and is made of a repurposed bedspread, honoring her love of sustainability.
@boringbb The second design I made of Grandma’s. I ‘m starting with some of the easier ones and working my way up. This design was so summery I wanted to knock it out before it gets cold here. #grandmasoftiktok #reveal #suprise #sewingforyoupage ♬ Possibility - Lykke Li
Across the board, what’s really resonated with people has been the beautiful connection Julia has fostered with her grandmother through this passion project. As one person in the comments section put it, “The treasure is the relationship and memories you make with her. The fashion is just the bonus. Kudos to you.”
Some of us hold onto a dream and keep it close for our entire life. Others don’t find our passion until later in life. Others still, like Georgie, might start off with a dream and allow it to be tucked away as life puts us on a different path. This common thread of humanity connects every generation, and when we celebrate those commonalities, beautiful things happen.
Check out even more of Georgie and Julia’s fashion creations on TikTok.