Beauty and the Beast Ballgown

Design and Inspiration

Before I began the project of creating this dress, my friend Anna Hervey and I thought out possible designs for the dress. She is the one who designed the dress, and I created it. She took most of her inspiration from the videogame, and tried to keep the outfit close to the original with a more elegant feel.

Making the Dress

This dress was one of a pair, based off of the videogame Breath of the Wild. I made this dress in four pieces so it was easy to put on and take off, and so it was much easier to wash. The first layer is the skirt, which I made with a blue silk found at Joann Fabrics. On top of that skirt went the beige mini-skirt, which attaches like a belt and has the blue triangle on top.

The third layer belongs to the top. It is a beige undershirt with the eye painted on. It is made of cotton so it stays cooler and can breathe. The final layer is the blue silk top, which is made of the same silk as the skirt to tie the whole look together. The accessories are added on last. These include the gloves and belt. The belt has a bow, but the bow is removable for transportation purposes.

I made this dress with different fabrics because I wanted to give it dimension and different textures. If it was all silk or all cotton it would feel flat and boring. By using silks and cottons I was able to make the dress pop, and create a feeling of elegance without being too over the top. The character, Paya, is very quiet and reserved; I didn’t want to create a dress that didn’t match the character.