Out of all of the Titanic costumes I’ve written about, this one represents the greatest departure from the original gown. The colour, embellishments, and cut of the skirts are all drastically different from the original, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to flounce about in.
I made this gown back in the summer of 2008 (Well before peacocks and feathers were fashionable. Look at me! I’m a trendsetter!).
It was inspired by a few things. The first was the large amounts of bright green crepe-back satin and royal blue organza sitting in my basement. Next was some beautiful peacock-esque costume jewellery my Grandmother had given me. (more…)
Just in case you hadn’t noticed, I love Titanic (that’s my fan site, of course). I especially love the costumes, and if I could dress like that everyday, I would. And while nothing is really stopping me, per se, from dressing in a whalebone corset and layers of chiffon, taffeta, and lace on a daily basis… yeah. I don’t. I think the three biggest factors are not wanting to destroy nice gowns, the fear of being cold all the time, and not having anyone around that I’d want to lace me into my underwear everyday.
I love sleeping with a warm beanbag in the winter. It keeps my bed warm when the room is freezing, and it’s nice to cuddle something that’s warm and soft and doesn’t complain about being suffocated. But… it’s started smelling a bit funny. I guess regularly microwaving something filled with unidentified organic matter dramatically shortens its useable life.
So, I made another one. With a fuzzy, washable cover, and filled with some things that smell nice. It was very easy, and took all of an hour (and I was distracted to boot). I used some leftover flannel and super fuzzy flannel, and odds and ends of really old dry goods from the pantry. Eight seams, and you’ve got yourself a warm bag of wonder for winter nights and sore muscles.
Re-useable shopping bags are everywhere these days. Every business wants to sell you one. My local grocery store rewards you with 2¢ for each cloth bag you use. Lululemon sends you home with one every time you buy something there, and they aren’t the only store that does that. My family has been using cloth bags for my entire life, but our collection of re-useable bags has quadrupled since they became fashionable.
But… most of them are terrible. They are incredibly cheap things, made from recycled diapers or something. And they’re ugly and covered in advertising. And all the same size. So if you have a lot of things to carry (especially awkwardly shaped and/or heavy things), you’re kind of out of luck. That stupid thing will split/tear/destroy the circulation in your fingers.
Anyone who is familiar with the costumes of Titanic will immediately notice that I took some liberties with this costume. Out of all of Rose’s costumes in Titanic, I believe the Lunch Dress has the honour of being the nastiest colour. Sorry to any fans of that particular shade of nausea-inspired green, but there you have it. So I went with a beautiful dusty blue silk, under woven with golden yellow.
Rose’s dress is also extremely lacy. I am just not that big of a fan of lace, so instead of four tiers of it, I went with one (also allowing that beautiful silk to show itself off a little more).
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