Lucilla's 'Greatness of Rome' Dress
Gladiator
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The research for this dress
The under chiton is made of off-white silk shantung with white lace trim from Trim Fabric along the neck and sleeves.  The chiton is a very simple shape and is made large in order to create those wrinkles you see.  Leave the sleeves unclosed but hem them or create a facing for the top and fasten them with frogs or clasps.  I used some simple silver colored clasps, three down each arm.  The ribbon is acetate satin ribbon about 2 1/2 inches wide which I dyed with RIT.  It may be a little too wide.  It takes 8 yards of ribbon to go around me.
Both of my wraps are long rectangles of silk dupioni.  The darker wrap is 2 3/4 yards of copper/black dupioni from Denver Fabrics and is edged with a piece of gold and black trim.  The main wrap is "curry" dupioni from Fabric.com It's almost the perfect color!  It's trimmed in a piece for the edge I bought from Trim Fabric which I dyed gold.  And I added 14 paisley appliques I picked up on ebay from Heritage Trading.  They are spaced about every 18 inches. 
I bought sandals at Target to go with the outfit.  We never really see her sandals, so I just wanted something Roman feeling.  I've had some fun with Sculpey for this costume.  It's providing my D-ring, which is covered in gold foil.  And I've finished my laurel diadem.  It's 16-gage wire with painted Sculpey leaves around 2/3 of it held by an extra piece of clay on the inside.  The necklace is not quite right, but not too bad.  It's a lakh necklace from Kohinoor: Luxuries from the East on eBay.  The earrings are from Great Gift Collection, also on eBay.
My father's hobby of fixing up old watches sent him on a quest for a watch I could wear with this outfit.  He came up with this great breacelet watch.
To fix for next time:
1. Find a good way to hold the chiffon onto my headdress.  I tried using clip-on earrings, but that didn't hold it
2. Find a way to attach the darker wrap to the D-ring so that it will support the weight of it and stay together
Contact Last updated: 9/8/2006
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