FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Daughter of the Sky: The real Little Mermaid (1837)
(click images to to enlarge)
Outline the story …
What would the little mermaid look like as she stepped out of Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Little Mermaid' published in 1837? This is one of my favourite fairy tales and I designed this outfit to reflect the symbolism of the original story, and the time in which it was written and published.
My entry is based on the transitional Biedermeier style, with nods to the end of the Romantic Era in Britain. The colour palette is based on the ocean - which includes deep and bleached tones of navy and ivory respectively. The red pearl choker necklace, made for this costume, is to symbolise the Mermaid's 'favourite red flowers' from her sea garden, as a reminder of home while she ventures above the surface. The bodice is embroidered silk which gives the illusion of fish scales and relates to the world and textures she is most familiar with. The skirt is navy satin which. when it reflects light, gives the illusion of dark ocean waves.
The detachable bertha collar has origami-like organic fronds which felt like a natural pattern to use for this character. Finally, the scalloped shell trim on the skirt references 'oyster shells' which, in the story, are a status symbol of the Mer royal family according to her grandmother, and five 'pearls' on the detachable bertha represent her sisters who cut off their hair in a trade to the sea witch, to try and save the Little Mermaid's life after being rejected by her human love.
Outline the construction…
I used Black Snail's 1830s Biedermeier dress and underpinning patterns as base designs (underpinnings not pictured). I diverged on the sleeves of the gown, opting to draft them into bishop sleeves instead from POF1 (Janet Arnold) based on a 'brown silk morning dress' dated 1837-41.
The garment is machine stitched on the main seams, with hand work on cuffs, trim, piping and sleeve gathers. The bertha on the BS pattern is sewn to the bodice however I didn’t like how this turned out originally, and opted instead to take it off and design my own using criss-crossing strips of silk and make it into a pointed collar, instead of a rounded one. I finished this with 5 mother of pearl silk buttons in descending sizes. The belt was as per the pattern, and decorated simply with 2 matching shell-pink coloured buttons.
Initially, scaling up the sleeve pattern from POF was quite difficult but after reading a few articles from AD I was able to work it out. Cording by hand took a long time and sapped my motivation! Finally trying to amend this to fit best for my measurements was totally new to me and took a lot of trial and error. My previous sewing experience consists of following 18th c Simplicity patterns and making a basic Viking smokkr - so this entire project was a huge leap, right from mood boarding and designing, to selecting the materials, creating a mock up and then actually finishing the garment.
The skirt fabric and drape is mesmerizing! And I love the sleeves!
I love your attention to detail, down the the shell buttons. Well thought out and designed.
You did such a great job with the pleats on the shirt, that must have taken FOREVER! I also looove your hair for your photos, and the color choices.
I love how your outfit takes us through the story. It is so thoughtful and symbolic, yet the pieces feel like real clothes, not a costume. Good luck! (from craftyroo/icarus!)
There is something so special about this dress and the way you made it. It doesn’t feel like it was made now but rather sewn in some time long ago. You have such a delicate hand for sewing and fit and a sense of design that can’t be learned.
I am absolutely in love!
Beautiful! And great choice of story 😉
It’s wonderful how you have incorporated the story of The Little Mermaid into this dress! I love the way the bodice resembles scales and the skirt looks like water when it catches the light. The details of the pearl buttons and shell trim are lovely. The dress fits you really well and looks stunning 🙂
Wow! This is beautiful! I love that bodice. The colors work wonderfully! Thank you!
I love the thought that went into each element of the outfit, even the number of mother of pearl buttons on the collar! Such attention to detail, and the pleated Bertha is so beautiful too! Well done for all your hard work!