Early in summer of 2008, I got contacted by Melissa Anderson Cantrell,
owner and designer for Evil Pawn Jewelry. She wanted three 1780's court dresses
(she called them "Countess Dresses," which I rather like) to promote her
new line. I was happy to oblige, because I'd been eyeing the era for a
while and wanted a chance to try it.
I custom-drafted all the bodices according to the models' measurements,
and then of course two of the models dropped out and the green one got
worn by someone else. They're all basically the same cut, with
variations on the sleeves and trim.
These are some photos from the shoot:
The black one didn't get used for the shoot, so Melissa kept it for herself.
This little dress I made on a whim, partly to see how cheap I could do it.
I think I was inspired by the look of a dress worn by Death in one of the
Sandman comics, but this corset-and-tulle-skirt look was pretty ubiquitous
among the goth crowd at one time. (Maybe it still is, I've quit
paying attention!)
The bodice is black cotton velveteen, interlined with cotton twill and
fully boned in spiral steel. The center front closes with satin-covered
buttons and cord loops; heavy-duty hooks reinforce the center front
closure. Laces up the back.
Skirt is about a thousand yards of tulle (IIRC it was 12 yards, but it felt
like a thousand) hand-gathered in 2 tiers to a black taffeta yoke.
Total cost? Maybe $70. Sold on Ebay for $230.
One year for Halloween I wanted to be Armand, from Anne Rice's Vampire
novels. I happened to pick up a load of red velvet extra-cheap from
Wal-Mart (this was when I still worked in their fabric department) and
some even cheaper flocked acetate satin at Sew-Fro (this was a LONG time
ago). The construction of this is even crappier than the fabric, but it
looks good on the body, and velvet hides a multitude of sewing sins. I get
a lot of attention in this, for some reason. I don't usually go in for
gender-bending, I'm quite happy being a woman, but there is something both
risqué and liberating about dressing as a boy, even in these post-
liberation times.