The original rags to riches story ... Classic Cinderella

The design for my gown was inspired by both the 1950 original animated film and to a lesser degree the 2015 live action film. Plus a little dash of my own style, especially in the sleeves. ( I rarely like how her sleeves are done in the Disney Parks. Especially before her most recent gown restyle. Please see an example of the older parks version below. I'm sorry, but no thanks.)

I have always loved Cinderella's strawberry blonde hair in the original movie. But in the Parks and on all the merchandise, she has very light yellow-blonde hair. Not the same at all. Now, for this shoot, I didn't have time or the money to buy a brand new wig. I just quickly styled a light blonde wig I already owned. In the future, I will absolutely commission a custom wig from a stylist.

Similarly, her gown definitely is silver-blue or straight silver, depending on the scene and whether she is outside underneath the moon, or inside with bright lights everywhere. But again, in the Parks and on the merchandise, she is always portrayed in a baby blue dress, with maybe a few silver accents. For my version, I really wanted to stay true to the animated movie as much as possible. That's not to say I will never make her Parks dress, as it is also pretty, but it isn't a priority.

Also, in an older version of the story, Cinderella plants a tree at the grave of her mother and waters it with her tears. Then, the first night of a 3-day festival at the palace, she prays for a miracle. She hears her mother's voice and a silver gown appears and thus she goes to the ball. The second night, she is blessed with a gold dress from her mother (via the magical tree). It's just such a beautiful thought, her mother still looking after her, even from beyond the grave. So sweet. So in a way, I was inspired by that version, too.

The skirt has 4 layers. I think each skirt is 5 yards wide. It’s been years since I made it, so I can’t recall. The first layer is a baby blue costume satin. Second is plain white tulle to soften the blue. (I wanted the dress to be more silver than blue,) Next is a tulle with lots of chunky, bold glitter. Lastly, the top layer is a lighter and finer tulle. I hemmed each layer separately, and then treated all the layers as one and pleated to the waistband. I absolutely adore this skirt. The side poofs of the skirt are two layers of tulle. I didn’t use a pattern for it, but just drew a shape that I thought would work.

For the bodice, I used Simplicity 1026. Ironically, it’s a pattern for a 2015 live action Cinderella cosplay, not the animated version. I did the same 4 layers of fabric that I did for the skirt, plus a layer of duck cloth for stability. I piped each seam with silver piping trim for a little extra detail and interest. For the poofy sleeves, I again just made it up as I went along. I think it worked well, though.

I love the overall effect of the multiple layers of fabric and the sparkle and shine they give. The shape of the bodice could use some refinement. But I’m very happy with this cosplay.

Yours in hard work, creativity, and a dash of pixie dust,

Sarah