Destiny
from the painting of the same name by
John William Waterhouse
This gown I made for a customer in Scotland. It can be worn separately or beneath another gown (in her case, Miranda, also from a Waterhouse painting).
Destiny is a simple Mediaeval-style floor-length gown, with long tight sleeves and rounded neckline. It is worn over an ankle-length short-sleeved chemise, which you can see peeking out from the neckline. A sash of blue silk-essence is worn tied around the waist or hips.
The gown in the painting is undoubtedly silk dupioni. While my customer loved the sheen and texture of dupioni, it was far beyond her price range. However, I found some lovely shimmer satin shantung, more budget-priced, and made the gown of that. The photos do not do it justice; the colour changes from sparkly burgundy to deep claret to nearly black in different lights, literally changing hues as you move. The middle photo most closely approximates the colour in natural light. The gown has a very magical feel to it and I am quite pleased with the results.