My Own Stargirl

I struggled with the choice of story. I thought of "Stargirl" (by Jerry Spinelli) early on, but thought it was a bit of a cop out, since basically, my whole wardrobe could also be hers. We both wear costumes on a daily basis. I could make anything and say it was Stargirl. I finally decided to start with the actual text. It was also important to me that this was something that I could, and would, wear. That said, I will wear most anything, but big flowy sleeves, as fun as they are, are hard to wear when doing house repairs or taking care of kids.

There are a few specific outfits described, like when Stargirl is walking in the desert she wears a skirt that looks like a lollipop when she spins, so of course I had to make one. My mom showed me a spiral skirt from the 70's, and I loved the swish and flare, rather than the flat circle skirt I had been envisioning. Stargirl's 'normal' is floor length prairie dresses. I thought about what most people think of as 'prairie dresses', which tends to be less 'Little House' and more Gunne Sax. That was the inspiration behind the blouse. During fitting I really liked the sides being open a bit, and decided to add the lace inserts, inspired by Georgian frock coats, which also led to the buttons above. In that vein, I also chose to spiral lace the front.