Ceremonial Leia WIP

[General Princess (Jordan West)]

My Hoth Leia costume was just approved today, so because the phrase "take a break" is meaningless to me, I'm starting preliminary work on my next project: the ANH ceremonial gown.

I learned my lesson re: researching and getting feedback early in the process, so here's some questions and a general round-up of where I'm at. Any input from those who've made this costume would be much appreciated.

Apologies for the image-heavy post. This is about half of the Flickr album dedicated to this build, and I haven't even started making anything.

Fabric

Through good fortune and bargain hunting, I have four fabric options on-hand (2 base dress, 2 overdress), I just have to decide which ones to use. All four are shown draped over the same cardboard box and hanging over the edge of a table.

For the base dress:


#1 (on the left) is a little lighter and swishier. #2 is slinkier and more opaque. What you can't see is that #2 is very definitely off-white, rather than pure white or ivory.

For the overdress:

#1 is (if I remember right) silk chiffon. It's a bit heavier but it has a very floaty drape. #2 is much more sheer and has a smoother drape.

I've got enough of each that I can use the second choices to make a mock-up, which should give me a pretty exact picture of how the final will work out.

Pattern

All of the patterns I've seen recommended (Butterick 6593, Butterick 4018, Vogue 7570) are out of print, but there are some current Vogue patterns that look promising:

9125 (I'll admit to favoring this one in part because I already have it) and 8470


As a point of interest, I stumbled on a McCall's wedding gown pattern from 1981 that looks just about right. http://www.cemetarian.com/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=518&=SID#MOREINFO

Since none of the available patterns are quite right, I did a quick draft based on how I THINK the dress is constructed. I'd love to hear from others on whether this is close to how your patterns ended up looking:


Is the back of the dress one piece or is the back of the bodice its own piece? Does it make a difference? I couldn't find a reference photo that showed the back construction clearly.

Shoes

Finding shoes for various Leia costumes has been a freaking nightmare, but that's mostly because the fashion industry thinks all women have small feet and thin calves. ::fist shake::

That being said, I did come up with three pretty good options for shoes, with the biggest differences being price and heel height:

#1 are $50 on Amazon, and they're Nine West, so pretty good quality. #2 are a pair I already own that would need to be painted, the pros being that they won't cost anything, and I know they're comfortable. #3 are $33 on ebay, no idea what brand.

Belt

I'm working on an (informal) Senatorial gown and planning to use that as a sort of test-run on the belt, using aluminum plates and white vinyl. For the circular details, I've seen people using both conchos and button blanks, and I'm leaning toward button blanks. (Slightly cheaper and don't require my vegetarian self to buy from a leather goods store.)


Jewelry

Here's where I've got the really sticky questions.

So I bought a replica piece from a seller on ebay, and it's lovely.
Here's the listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/321996438758?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

There's a few issues with it that present a problem. First, the finish on it isn't metallic enough, and it's very obviously painted resin. Not too much of a problem, since I can fix that with a better paint job.

Second, the tabs are strung on fishing wire, not folded over metal links, as they should be. Definitely fixable, if a bit tedious.

The real problem is the size. This piece has 16 1-inch tabs, as opposed to the original's 14 tabs. If I keep the 16, it will lay perfectly:


If I remove the two extraneous tabs, it's clearly too tight:


Do the standards allow adding additional tabs in order to get the right proportions or are we required to size the tabs up? I feel like I read the answer to this somewhere, but I could be going crazy.


Please shower me with your wisdom! I'm ready to learn.

[General Princess (Jordan West)]

Started mocking up the belt with the plate templates.



Is the ceremonial belt allowed/encouraged to have an 8th plate over the closure, like the senatorial belt?

[Lora Skywalker ()]

Hiya. I'll try and answer some of your questions.

I think I'd go with a 2, 1 combo for the fabrics. But don't use a four way stretch for the inner dress, because that skirt will stretch if you have any vertical stretch in your fabric. The chiffon is definitely the way to go for this.

For shoes 1 and 2 looks promising. A rounded toe is preferred.

I've seen evidence of a mid back horisontal seamline hidden under the belt, so it can be there. But no vertical seamline mid back above the belt.

I'd leave the extra tabs so the necklace fits you.

And no, the belt don't have to have the extra plate as there's evidence of a slightly different construction for this belt.
_________________
DXO of Royalty & Senatorial detachment

Detachment website: http://www.senate.rebellegion.com/

[General Princess (Jordan West)]

Thanks, Lora! Your input is really helpful.

I don't remember if that fabric is 4-way stretch. (It is safely tucked away until I'm ready to start sewing.) I'll have to pull it out and see how it falls.

Another - kind of silly - question occurred to me:
I have arm tattoos that will be clearly visible through the chiffon. Are there times I would need to cover them, like for my submission photos or certain events?

It's easy enough to cover them, but I want to know when it is/isn't required to, A, minimize the chances of getting make-up on my very white dress, and, B, show them off as much as possible, especially the Star Wars one.
_________________
They said to dress for the job I want, so I'm dressing like a badass space princess.

[General Princess (Jordan West)]

More shoes!

These would need to be painted, but they're the closest to the correct silhouette I can find in my size. And I've got another pair from this brand that are super comfy, so they should be good for a day of con/trooping.


http://www.payless.com/womens-janis-low-heel-pump/156642100.html

Thoughts?
_________________
They said to dress for the job I want, so I'm dressing like a badass space princess.

[SongofAmazon (Jenna)]

That shape looks great. If you can get the paint to hold well, it should look pretty perfect.
_________________


In planning and progress:
Riyo Chuchi, Havoc Trooper, Amilyn Holdo, Lilac Handmaiden

Charter Committee | Galactic Senate DCO | RLGS Web Site

[Lora Skywalker ()]

It's easier to cover a white shoe than a black, but shape looks good. You might not be able to get them proper silver if you start out with a black shoe, just so you're aware.

And yes, please cover them for approval photos and for high level events. Otherwise just have fun.
_________________
DXO of Royalty & Senatorial detachment

Detachment website: http://www.senate.rebellegion.com/

[General Princess (Jordan West)]

[General Princess (Jordan West)]

Back from Dragon Con and ready to get this party started for real!

Question for those who have made this dress with the train: How do you deal with the train while walking around? Do you just hike it up or do you have some way to bustle or lift the overlay? Do you just not walk around in it? How much do you regret your life choices?

I'm leaning toward including the train, and so input from anyone who's trooped with it would be much appreciated.

I did a test run of the belt, along with a test Senatorial Leia, both of which were construction disasters, but kind of looked okay.

Ignoring the rest of this costume (which is a hot mess), do the sizing and spacing for the belt look good? There are seven plates, 2x3", evenly spaced, and the fit feels good. Just want to make sure that nothing needs to be sized up to get the right look.



Planning to work on the shoes and belt this week and start on the dress mock-up next week. Wish me luck!
_________________
They said to dress for the job I want, so I'm dressing like a badass space princess.

[SongofAmazon (Jenna)]

I can't speak to the train myself, but I will say that the spacing and sizing looks pretty good, as long as you have at least 7 of the belt plates.
_________________


In planning and progress:
Riyo Chuchi, Havoc Trooper, Amilyn Holdo, Lilac Handmaiden

Charter Committee | Galactic Senate DCO | RLGS Web Site

[Lora Skywalker ()]

Spacing and size looks pretty good to me though the pieces should not be any further apart.

As one who has the train, because, well, it's screen accurate, I will say this: you can easily walk forward in it, but don't ever attempt to walk backwards, not even a single step. If you need to turn then walk a small circle around yourself. To the sides is not a problem either for me.
_________________
DXO of Royalty & Senatorial detachment

Detachment website: http://www.senate.rebellegion.com/

[General Princess (Jordan West)]

So no moonwalking, then. Got it.
_________________
They said to dress for the job I want, so I'm dressing like a badass space princess.

[Lora Skywalker ()]

[General Princess (Jordan West)]

Progress continues! My Jedi Godmother (because she is both teaching me and making me a princess) helped me finish up the mock-up base on Friday. The pattern needs to be taken in just a smidge at the sides and cut a bit longer on the bottom, but we're generally pleased with it. (Aside from the need to wear better Spanx.)


As an added bonus, you get my comfy socks, a shark-shaped dog toy, and bags under my eyes, since we finished around midnight.

There's not actually a weird vertical seam on the bodice, it's just pulling like that because I'm holding up the belt (which currently has no closure). There's also no hems or facings, so the edges still look a bit frumpy.



The belt is two layers of white upholstery vinyl with a layer of plastic canvas in between. It's much sturdier and more flexible than my first attempt, which was apparel vinyl with a stiff canvas backing (and essentially disintegrated after two days of heavy wear).

I did paint tests with pretty much every type of silver paint I could find, and the one that worked best, much to my surprise, was Rustoleum interior spray paint, so it's going to get painted as soon as the rain stops long enough for the humidity to drop.

The least labor-intensive piece so far has been the hair. Just a few hours with a hot glue gun and lots of braids.


For scale, that wig head is roughly the same size as my head and sits about even with my chest, so the end of the braid should hit just past my waist.

I'm a little worried that either the braid pile is too big or the long braid is too thin, but I don't know if that's just because it looks weird sitting on the wig head. Thoughts?

Up next: Sewing with chiffon! May the Force be with us.
_________________
They said to dress for the job I want, so I'm dressing like a badass space princess.

[SongofAmazon (Jenna)]

It looks like you're making great progress. That is a clever way to achieve the belt.

Could you take a picture with the hair piece on your own head. I have the same concerns you do, but it's hard to tell with it on a wig head.
_________________


In planning and progress:
Riyo Chuchi, Havoc Trooper, Amilyn Holdo, Lilac Handmaiden

Charter Committee | Galactic Senate DCO | RLGS Web Site