Nadya Lapteva

The character that my outfit is based on is Nadya Lapteva from the book "Wicked Saints". This book takes place in a Russian-inspired fantasy world, where Nadya, a cleric, is the main character. For the dress, I was inspired by traditional Slavic costumes, as that is as much of the art the series is based on. From that, I took the silhouette of the dress as well as the trim and its placement. The second part of the outfit was the cloak, as it is winter throughout most of the book. For this, I was inspired by another article of clothing from Russian history, the Imperial court dress. While I am aware that those are from very different time periods, the book, like much YA fantasy, does not choose a specific era to draw from. The fact that it is Russian inspired is noted from the language, and court names (tsar, etc.). From this, I took the look of the sleeves, neckline, and train. The fabric was chosen because of its connection to the overall aesthetic, not only of the world but also the physical book.