As part of an independent study through the Theatre Department at my school, I created a line of medieval-style dresses inspired by the costumes in Lord of the Rings and Ever After. You can find pictures of the line [here]. From this line, I chose one dress to create and display along with my research at the Theatre Department's End of the Year Gallery.

Status of Costume: wearable, but not finished

Started: April 29, 2005
Finished: May 4, 2005

Materials Used:
Bodice & Skirt - gold murella crepe satin from Joann's
Midriff & Sleeves - gold metallic organza also from Joann's
Gauntlets - I used the same murelle satin for the outer layer but interlined them in sturdy cotton from my stash and lined them with antique gold satin also from my collection of remnants

Patterns Used:
Dress - entirely self-draped though I did use the sleeve I generated for my Shieldmaiden Gown as a starting point for my sheer bishop sleeves

Found Items:
Belt - gold chain link belt from Walmart, $10

What I like:
Considering how much time I had to complete the project, I am quite pleased with how it turned out. I love the drape of the skirt and like how the gauntlets turned out. I still need to add the grommets to the gauntlets as well as hem the skirt, but overall I'm happy.

What I would change:
Due to massive time constraints, I had to make a lot of compromises in order to get the costume finished in time. I simplified the design a lot - elminating the embroidery and beading embellishments as well as altering the belt. The crepe I used liked to stretch as I sewed it and caused ripples in the neckline. It looks fine in pictures but is much more noticable when on me. I made a few shortcuts when putting the sheer sleeves together and wanted to line the skirt but again ran out of time. These are the little things that bug me but aren't too obvious to anyone looking at the dress. Still, if I could, I'd like to redo the dress again and take my time. I think I could do a much better job and get all of those little details right. :)

LJ "Diary": goldlotr

To see the images that inspired this costume, check out my
LOTR Costume Research and Ever After Costume Research pages.