Planning

If you want to create something like this:

then the planning has to be excessive.

Addition made at a later point of time:
Sometimes, the planning can be excessive, yet it still doesn’t work… this costume’s diary is a perfect example.
I will explain that at a later point of time in this diary.

First, I only disliked one single thing about this gown: its colors. I envisioned something in my favorite colors – blue and black.
This is why the first thing I made was a color changed version of the picture, with a picture of my face over the ‚head‘ of the doll (unsharpened here for privacy reasons) and the hair changed to the color I had back then (yes, I change my hair color quite often – currently, I am trying to get rid off black red hair to get back to my natural, almost grey ash blonde…):

Yes. Most definitely yes. So mine.

Now – color changing alone wouldn’t make the planning here. The next thing I did was to look around for various patterns which I could modify for this gown. I came up with the following, all by Truly Victorian:

Truly Victorian 422

This pattern for the bodice was almost perfect, except of the neckline which had to be straight instead of heart-shaped and the tail on the backside, which would have to be fanned to fit over the bustle.

Truly Victorian 216

This skirt pattern, while not having the waterfall draped bustle at the backside, seemed great if I would change some things. First, I would have to turn the side panels around and second, I would have to change the back drape. Other than that, I would have to change the appearance of the front side to that ruched look and add rows of pleating to the bottom.

Truly Victorian 326

What I liked most about this pattern was something no other pattern had – the pleated and fanning panniers. This was the part of that particular pattern I would need for my gown.

I then made a collage of all the pattern elements with the modifications I wanted to make and compared them to the original gown. In this collage, the bodice pattern (TV422) is marked red, the skirt (TV216) is marked green, the flipped side panels of the same pattern are marked yellow and the panniers from TV 326 are marked blue:

Looks great, doesn’t it?

Well, and because it looks so great, I will just look at it for some time until I start on the gown… No, frankly – I just don’t want to start something else at the moment; but I will most definitely make the gown, especially because the planning worked so well and of course because I already have most of the materials at hand.

Materials I’ll need (or already used) for this gown (constantly updated with further planning and making):
(This includes a price breakdown for the materials – I’ve made the experience that people are incredibly curious as to how much one would have to pay for the materials if they would make such a gown themselves.
Remember, however, that the below shown costs are *just* the plain material costs – so if you would have someone make you such a gown with the above listed jewelry, you’d have to pay their work as well.
Considering that I estimate this gown and appropriate corset to take roughly 150 hours of work, and considering that a *good* costume maker should earn at least $15 per hour (remember, s/he must pay taxes from that, *plus* make a living somehow!), *plus* adding some funds for research, shipping of materials and the finished gown, notions etc. – about $150 or so….
This means the price for a gown like this should have at least $2250 *added* to the below listed, plain material costs, if you would want a professional costume maker to make you this gown.)

Before starting on the gown, I have to make the corset.