I especially love this Elizabeth Swann dress that I made this past year for Halloween. I think the thing I love most about it is that I actually FINISHED it. I've had a love affair with Pirates of the Caribbean since the first movie was released and I've been holding onto a pattern for years for Elizabeth's gorgeous golden brocade dress from the beginning of The Curse of the Black Pearl. I think it took me so long to actually attack the project because I was intimidated by the amount of work it might develop into-- and I was afraid that my replica might not even hold a candle to the brilliant gown in the movie. I remember "oooing and ahhing" the second I saw Keira Knightly wear it on screen. I've always felt as though I were born in the wrong time period as far as clothing is concerned.
Anyhow, after I read the pattern a few times over, I decided that colonial finery was nothing I couldn't handle (slowly) and I started searching for the perfect material. This is one of my favorite aspects of sewing. I swear, sometimes I buy fabric before I even know what I'm going to make with it-- I just know I want to make SOMETHING with it, eventually. I've developed quite a stock pile.
After unsuccessfully scouring the store for quite a while for this gold brocade that I had specifically pictured in my mind, I was beginning to think that this dress was a no-go. Then one afternoon, my mom called me from Joanne's and said she was looking right at a bolt of four and a half yards of golden brocade in the red tag section. I was like "Are you serious?" And she's like "I'm totally serious." Fabric miracle. I knew then that the dress must be made, and in time to wear it to the huge Halloween bash at work with my boyfriend.
I think it took me a week from start to finish to complete the costume. It's got an underskirt made of muslin, and the overskirt and bodice are a separate piece. Altogether, the whole outfit must be at least twenty pounds of fabric, lace, and boning, but the weight makes me feel more authentic when I'm wearing it. After all, what fashionable colonial girl wore comfortable clothing?
For the Halloween party, I excitedly paired it with the replica Aztec treasure necklace that I've had since I was fifteen. The dress was an absolute blast to wear and I'm so thrilled that I finally accomplished it when I thought I wouldn't be able to. Almost everyone knew who I was supposed to be, although one jerk asked if I was Marie Antoinette. Whatever. Can't win them all. :)
