FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
3rd Place
Dorothy… But 1770s!
(click images to to enlarge)
https://youtu.be/l1PdM8viaOY
Other Credits
Photographer: Sophie Burgener
Outline the story …
Since I was little, I have always loved the story of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and have been obsessed with Dorothy’s blue gingham dress. My aunt gave me my first pair of ruby slippers when I was about 4 years old and have been in love ever since. In the book, it describes Dorothy as having but one other dress that is made of blue gingham. When she puts on the silver shoes, she is all ready to go!
I decided to era-bend from the year 1900 to 1770 because I wanted to do something different. Something that I had not seen before! I chose this era because while I was taking my music degree, I was exposed to a lot more baroque music than I had been in the past and it very quickly became one of my favourite eras of music. This also influenced why I chose to era-bend. I chose this style of jacket and petticoat to make for Dorothy as she would not have had the fanciest dress, but she would still have been fashionable! I based the design of my entry on multiple examples of extant gowns and jackets from the 1760s to the 1770s.
I have not seen any extant gowns made of gingham, but the fabric was used all over the world by the 1600s so I do not see why Dorothy would not have made a dress out of it if she had extra from making her curtains!
Outline the construction…
For my outfit I made the chemise, the stays, two petticoats, and the swallow tail jacket with decorations. The bows on the front of the jacket were going to be bow ties for my cats, but then I set them down on the jacket and I knew what it was missing!
I drafted each piece of the garment myself. The first piece I made was the stays as I knew I would not be able to make the rest of my outfit without them! My garment is completely hand stitched as I did not own a sewing machine at the time and I wanted to follow historical practices where I could! A difficulty I faced were during the construction of the jacket. I did not have anyone to help me with fitting so it was a lot of trial and error and many mockups.
Some resources I used include “La Couturière Parisienne” an online resource that has so much information it is amazing! I also used “The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking”, and for hair and makeup inspiration I used “The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking”. My fingerless mitts are from Weft and Wale.
I used a pair of white leather shoes and some silver ribbon to create an 18th century inspired shoe with what I could find. I went with silver for the shoe detail colour as that is what is depicted in the book, not ruby red like the movie!
That’s absolutely wonderful! The stays and the gown are exquisite! I’m sure Dorothy would have loved this gown, had she lived in the 1770s.
I absolutely love this idea! I used to watch The Wizard of Oz on repeat as a child and this dress is just beautiful!
Wish I’d seen more gingham gowns because this look just lovely
Wow!! That fits perfectly. Wonderful job.
This is incredible! Amazing work!! Very much in awe of you drafting your own stays!!
Gorgeous. And it is one of your first sewing experience? I am quite jealous! 😉
The fabric just work!!!!! I love it!
Wow what a great idea I love this great job
I giggled with delight. Great idea and well executed. Now I want one!
WOW. Self drafted pattern, sewn by hand, and completely gorgous!!!!
It’s absolutely fantastic!!! Well done!!!
Great job! Love the character choice and the gingham!
This is Brilliant and beautiful! marvellously done!
Just looking at your costume makes me happy!
Wow, this is stunning! Beautiful! Ugh, I just love it!
Beautiful work. Lovely concept.
Hi Clara, I love this idea! You executed it beautifully. All you need now is a Toto to your Dorothy.
OH MY GOSH!!! It’s so amazing.
One of my favorite characters and LOVE the history bending! Amazing job, I am in awe!
I keep coming back to this one… across all the categories, this is one of my very favourite entries. Just love it. Well done, you!
So cute and a wonderfully creative interpretation.
I love it that the bow ties were going to be for your cats. Usually they don’t let you decide that sort of thing. This is absolutely beautiful! The video is terrific!
I love the concept of this adaptation, and everything about it is executed so well!
So beautiful, I love your concept and all hand sewn!! incredible!
Gorgeous! I love the concept, and that you hand sewed everything, very impressive.
Brilliant! And wonderful work!
So elegant! Beautiful work!
What a great concept. I love everything about this! Thank you so much for sharing this!
This is so much fun! I love you turned the iconic dress into something historical.
Woawwwww this is so pretty ! I adore the hue. Congratulations on your entry 🙂
As a forever fan of Dorothy, this entry truly delights my heart. Bravo!
This dress is beautiful! And it looks like what I imagined the dress when I read the book.
Very Pretty! I love how you translated the design!
Great job! This is so beautiful!
Wow, you’ve absolutely hit the mark on the era-bending! It’s a lovely ensemble. And I have to say, you’ve definitely inspired me to actually follow-through on the 1770’s project I’ve been thinking about for a while.