mala_14 | CoCo Gala dress thoughts, with pictures

I originally wanted to do an 1882 Snow Queen. However, fabric dyeing adventures have resulted in more of a sea green colour than an icy blue/green. So I think I am going to change to an 1882 Little Mermaid. I still like my other dress design, but in the interest of being mermaid-y, I am going with something else. One of the contenders for a design was this yellow one from Peterson's (made available online by

jenthompson):

I think a short train will be tail-like, especially if I add some frills. And I can make little corsages for the shoulder and train with seashells and pearls and other sea things. I already have a pearl bead necklace and earrings. I can also paint a fan with an under-the-sea design. My big genius idea is to get some white sateen for the skirt and paint it with a scale design in silver.

What really sold me on this change in design, other than the fabric colour, is the fact that it will require me spending less money. Instead of all the silk gauze I was planning on getting, I only need a little bit for the neckline. And sateen is cheap at Joann's, which is somewhere I can easily stop by on a trip to the States some time in the next several months, especially with a coupon.

I'm trying not to be to CADD with my CoCo plans, but it's difficult. I keep thinking it would be fun to do 1890s/Anne of Green Gables puffed sleeves. And then

nuranar was talking about The Prisoner of Zenda (which was actually one of L.M. Montgomery's favourite books) which is from the 1890s. And I happened to have the 1952 movie version recorded. So I watched that yesterday. The costumes are by Walter Plunkett (of Gone With the Wind fame) and they are GORGEOUS! (It helps that they're also in glorious Technicolor. :p) But trying to be good...