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The Goose Girl
(click images to to enlarge)
Other Credits
Photographer: Taran Schatz
Outline the story …
The garment is inspired by the princess in the Brothers Grimm tale, "The Goose Girl", and Shannon Hale’s retelling of the same name. The garment is designed for when the princess is in hiding after her lady’s maid took her title while on the way to marry a prince. She works as a goose girl until she is able to reclaim her birth right.
Little detail is given in the story on specifics of garments beyond general terms, so I created what I envisioned since reading Hale’s novel more than a decade ago. Hale’s retelling describes a land rich with colors in the people’s garb, contrasting the princess’s home of subdued fabrics.
My mind’s eye had created this bold land resembling the quintessential Bavarian region. From this, the color palette is inspired by an image of Neuschwanstein Castle amongst fall leaves. The silhouette comes from the classic German dirndl that I heightened by using 17th century stays. Neuschwanstein again inspires the princess’s petticoat which was designed to be white, delicate, and elegant as from her home before her lady’s maid literally took her dress off her back. This, like her secret identity, was hidden beneath bold, coarse fabrics of the worker’s clothes, a yellow skirt given to her by a kind woman in the wood who saved the princess.
The contrasting pattern of the smock is inspired by blackwork embroidery of the period. The design is finished by the headscarf worn by the princess to hide her distinctly blonde hair in the foreign land.
Outline the construction…
I strive to be sustainable in my construction with nearly all fabrics used here as deadstock, vintage, or secondhand.
The petticoat was constructed from a tablecloth and taffeta. It was gathered using cartridge pleats to give the illusion of a hip roll, then whipstitched to the waistband with side closures. Lace and seed beads were handstitched to each horizontal seam and the hem to be seen poking out under the skirt.
The linen skirt was constructed similarly to the petticoat. The vintage jacquard ribbon, used for the waistband of the skirt and apron, and the swan dresser scarf were originally intended to be used as a part of the stays, but I just could not bring myself to cut the hand embroidery.
The stays were my most complex piece. I adjusted Butterick B4254 to my figure where I struggled with self-fitting. Boning channels from cotton twill tape were stitched to the coutil and fashion fabric I sourced from a theatre costume rummage sale. The velvet embossed cotton was dyed to give the desired rust and deeper tones. The stays were then lined with a hidden yellow poly-silk.
The chemise is a linen I planned to construct using the Patterns for Theatrical Costumes (Holkeboer), 17th century chemise pattern. Upon finding the linen and noting the stripes, I changed direction and drafted a simple chemise pattern of squares and rectangles. The cuffs and neckline were my first attempt at smocking and the chemise is also my first completely hand sewn garment!
I loved the Books of Bayern!! This is a perfect tribute to The Goose Girl
Thank you so much! I will forever credit the Books of Bayern as what made me a reader, such spectacular stories. I still return to them every so often for a good read.
This is gorgeous, and one of my favorite books.
I adore the books and love your take on it. The chale on her head is so accurate ! It looks so detailed and so precise !
Thank you!! They are amazing books 🙂 I have to give credit to the wonderful ladies at Wrappunzel for help in figuring out the headscarf since I’d never made or worn one before. Their tutorials were extremely helpful, and gave me the confidence to make it work, especially since it’s such a critical element of Isi’s story.
I love the book and your interpretation of Isi’s outfit really captures it.
Thank you! I had so much fun bringing her to life. She is to this day, still my favorite fairy tale retelling character. She’s so real. I felt myself in her insecurities and rooted for her when she rose up to the challenge. This contest was such a wonderful excuse to finally dive into her look beyond what was in my imagination.
I have not watched that movie in years, It is one of my absolute favorites. You did a great job in the telling of the story.
My eyes are drooling (not tears) drool. This is BEAUTIFUL! So well done, absolutely fantastic!
Haha! I love it!!! Thank you so much <3 It was a labor of love and I am so proud of it.
Great colours. Lovely stays, pleating, and smocking!
Thank you! The colors were my favorite part to work with. Blue is ALWAYS my go-to, so I challenged myself to really hone into an autumn Bavarian color palette, which expanded into such a wonderful inspiration.
You have captured my heart with so many gorgeous details. Truly great work!
Thank you so much!! My heart is so full after creating this and seeing the responses. The details are everything! I wish I could submit so many more photos of every layer and bead.
This is one of my all time favorite books. I love your interpretation of Hale’s character. Everything about this is so wonderful!
It is an absolute classic on my shelf, my copy is falling apart from the times I’ve re-read it. I still remember getting Book of a Thousand Days (also by Hale) at the book fair and reading it in its entirety in a matter of days and then going out and getting every other book she wrote. The Goose Girl was the most memorable by far! I resonated with Isi so much, she’s forever a part of my life. Hence, it was such a joy to have the opportunity to step into her shoes for this project and bring her into reality.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
This is wonderful! I love all the colours!
Beautiful! I love the colour and fabric choices, and the stays look incredible! You did an amazing job, well done!