FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
The Starfall Gown
(click images to to enlarge)
Other Credits
Model: @freyjatcosplays
Outline the story …
“And I thought, as I stood alone in my bedroom, that I might have looked like a fallen star.” Feyre, chapter 44-A Court Of Mist And Fury, Sarah J Maas
The Starfall Gown. A vintage inspired dress said to look like a fallen star. In the text Feyra is dressed for a holiday called Starfall, a celestial event that marks the passage of souls crossing the sky. The fae to whom she works has clothed her in a gown covered in jewels which she reminisces makes her look as if she fell from the sky.
As I created this gown I deviated from the designs that many others have created and instead thought of how stars look when they sparkle in the winter, dark and mysterious with a stunning beauty. Which led me to this 1930s inspired, Swarovski crystal embellished gown.
Covered in (our) constellations, this gown holds several small nods to their world from Rhysand’s birth constellation near Feyra’s heart to the mythical and magical celestial bodies that dot our night sky.
The gown in the book was handmade by Rhysand’s mother and I thought it a fitting nod to her to create this gown that while lovely would not take away from the event to which it was worn.
Outline the construction…
This gown was a major step outside of my comfort zone as I usually design for myself only and in the Tudor or Victorian styles. I felt that the slinky nature of 1930s bias cut gowns fit the feel of this dress description the more I read the passage. Constructed of shimmer organza in two weights, a glittered knit and 60 hours worth of hand embroidered and Swarovski crystal constellations this gown brought me out of my shell creatively. While I hope to capture the general feel of the gown described in the book I knew I wanted to step away from what most people design this gown as- a white and pale blue gown with full sheer sleeves- and transform it into something more modern than the medieval descriptions of the mortal world. The largest obstacle was that of my model who lives on the other side of the country from me. We were only able to get together over the last few days before the contest ended to finalize the fit, shape, and photos for the entry. I rarely have had to rely just on measurements in my time creating costumes. Usually I have access to my performers or models for weeks ahead of time. I had to rely on my instinct and trust that the work I had done in December with measurements was correct and comprehensive. A real difficulty for me, who relays on my own fitting and comfort of well known patterns.
This is gorgeous! I admire how dedicated you are to have sewn all those crystals on by hand! It looks like something straight out of the Night Court.
Thank you so much! That’s what I was trying to do 💚
Beautiful detailing
Stunning gown with all this detail. It is a project to be proud of.
I had the privilege of watching my granddaughter work o this dress. She puts a lot of love and herself into her designs.
Stunning!
I love this book series, and this is a lovely interpretation of the starfall dress! The constellation embroidery is really pretty.
Thank you! It is one of my favorite series as well!
This is gorgeous, I love the constellations!
It was really hard to choose what to use. You don’t see them all in five photos but all the constellations on the dress are either zodiac constellations or ones to do with mystical creatures like hydras, unicorns and even a Phoenix
Oh the embroidery on this is breathtaking down to the choice of crystal colours for the constellations. Beautiful gown!
Thank you! I wanted to choose colors that looked like how the stars “flicker” when the air is super cold in winter
I love how elegant this dress is! You did well to choose the 1930’s design, it’s gorgeous! And all those crystals! It looks like a sparkling night sky, absolutely beautiful!
Thank you so much!
Beautiful job! I love your beading and your model’s hair style– and this pewter shade is wonderful on her! This is a much more fun star gown than the one in the Stardust book/movie– the character Yvaine probably wishes she had this like your character did!
I wish this was designed for Stardust but it’s actually from the book A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas. I haven’t read Stardust yet but it is on my list.