general notes:
May I present the Bellini Dress. Otherwise known as my new favorite costume EVAR! I really couldn't be more pleased with the way it came out and to say that I felt like a pretty, pretty princess in it is quite an understatement. :>
I've always loved this early 1790s style, with its very tailored clean lines and almost bustle back. And to make my life easier this gown is basically the dress version of my beloved blue ruffled jacket. Hey why re-invent the wheel? It would have been even easier if I had actually made a finial master pattern of the jacket when I made it but I eventually figured what combination of self drafted patterns I used to make it. *rolls eyes*
I didn't have enough fabric for a matching petticoat so I decided to make it a "round gown" which was actually really fun to wear. I splurged, using every inch of fabric to put a huge amount in the skirt - 4 panels of 54". So awesome! The back pleats took forever but I'm so proud of them. I really do have an obsession with tiny knife pleats and pointed back bodices. It's not a good thing!
This was a last-minute-I-need-something-new-to-wear project I started during the great Snow of 2010. Real life keep getting in the way but I did the bulk of the consturction in about 4 days... the day of my party I only had the hem to do! Aubry marked it, I pinned it and Mom was kind enough to sew it for me while I did my hair. Once again it takes a villiage to get me ready on time!
more construction pics:
videos:
Below is a video of me dressing or rather undressing in the Round Gown..
Below is a video tutorial (in four parts) for the hair style I wore with the gown. I finally figured out how to do that transitional hedgehog-to-regency-bun ringlet
& turban hair. Whoo-hoo!
Part 1 - pin-curling.
I didn't bother to explain how to pin curl - there are lots of good tutorials out there, (one of my favorites is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QmIQlK-HYA) - but you can see how I divide my hair. First into thirds, then the sides in about at my ear. The spray bottle has water in it - it makes my slightly layered ends much easier to curl on my finger!
Part 2 - intro
What you need for the style and taking out the pin curls. The silk gauze came from Dharma Trading Co.
Part 3 - styling the hair
Part 4 - decoration & things I forgot
A couple of notes and adding some decoration to the style. The product that I recommend is Enjoy Shine & Smooth.
