Why Esmeralda?
Mannnn, I won't lie, I still have a mad crush on Esmeralda. She is just so amazingly gorgeous, and has a heart of gold. I loved her as a kid too and had these super fun pajamas that looked just like her dress, probably even more so than any Halloween costume of that era! To finally be able to portray her as an adult was a huge honor, because I so greatly looked up to her as a kid. Like, all I want in life is to be as brave, courageous, kind, and beautiful as Esmeralda. She is also my hair goals! I wish I could have big lush Disney hair like that!
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Costume Stats
Started: October 2012
Completed: October 2012
Status: retired (sold)
Wig by: Arda Wigs - Glinda in Black + Extensions
Worn at: Halloween 2012, SugoiCon 2012, C2E2 2014
Awards: Best Western Media Cosplay- SugoiCon 2012
About This Costume
I believe this was the second Disney costume I ever made, right after my first version of Jessica Rabbit in her red dress. Although this costume was a lot of "firsts" for me. It wasn't my first time taking fabric textures into account, that was Tess, but that theme still carried over to this look and I wanted a diverse number of fabrics and textures to bring the look to life.
I picked linen look for the skirt and blouse, to give it a believable texture for that time period. In doing that, however, the skirt doesn't have much flow and drape when dancing, so I decided to opt for a fun satin on my next skirt (which is still in progress somewhere) for when I remake this look to capture more dramatic shots! The skirt has a white muslin lining attached, with lace on the hem of it for a really cute effect when the dancing shots are taken!
I opted for a lush green velour for the waist cincher, which not only added a richness to the costume, but also the stretch made it very comfortable to dance in! It was lined with Jet Set knit, and boning added to help it keep its structure. Gold trim was handsewn on over the areas of boning and to match the pattern of Esmeralda's outfit. The back has hidden snaps under the last strap, so that the pattern isn't broken.
The sash was done in a silky shiny satin to really make the outfit pop, since the rest of the colors and textures were so heavy and matte. It also has gold trim handsewn on with beads and coins sewn on as well. The headband is pink matte satin, covering a hard headband, and with long tails to be tied back. The jewelry was all repurposed from stuff I had in my wardrobe!
Why Esmeralda?
When making my Star Wars Jasmine costume, I got this idea to do Esmeralda's red dress at the same time, because it's always easy to work on projects that use similar materials and colors at the same time, so I don't have to change threads or serger settings as often.
Plus I love to multitask, and had a blast making them both! I could reuse most of my other parts like jewelry, tambourine, and wig, so all I had to do was design and make the dress and tiara.
Costume Stats
Started: May 2014
Completed: May 2014
Status: active
Wig by: Arda Wigs - Glinda in Black + Extensions
Worn at: ColossalCon 2014
Awards: none
About This Costume
The skirt was a lot of fun to make! It is a double circle skirt, meaning there are NINE yards worth of chiffon in this skirt so it is SUPER flowy! It was also hemmed with horsehair, so it has amazing movement when I spin or dance. The skirt was lined with an a-line skirt in red peachskin for modesty, so I didn't show my whole legs when I am moving. They are both attached at the waist using an elastic waistband, which makes it very easy and comfortable to wear.
The chiffon in the skirt was a Silky Solid feature from Joann that unfortunately no longer is available, because it was the best chiffon they had! It moves through the air like smoke, has a beautiful hand and silky feel, and doesn't have that paper-y grainy feel like other chiffons. The sleeves and sash were also Silky Solid chiffon. It only came in a few colors, but luckily all the ones that I needed for Esmeralda!
The top is actually a full spandex leotard that serves as a swimsuit also! Read below for more information on it! The tiara is embarrassingly just a Party City crown that I spray painted and glued a gem to because I was in a hurry for Colossal, hahaha. The tambourine and jewelry was reused from my first Esmeralda costume also!
Why Esmeralda?
When designing my Topsy Turvy dress, I was toying with how to make the dress for a while because I wanted a super flowy skirt but a tightly-fitted seamless top to match hers in the movie. Spandex would be the best fit for the top- that much I knew! But spandex would be too heavy to flow like I wanted it to for the skirt. So I opted to make the dress in two pieces to resolve that issue, but was still stumped with how exactly the two pieces would connect or attach. In the end I decided on a leotard with an overskirt! This leotard also served to work as being its own stand-alone piece as a swimsuit, which was PERFECT since I was debuting it at a water park convention! So thus, the idea was born!
Costume Stats
Started: May 2014
Completed: May 2014
Status: active
Wig by: Arda Wigs - Glinda in Black + Extensions
Worn at: ColossalCon 2014
Awards: none
About This Costume
Making this piece was pretty straightforward and easy! It is red spandex lined with swimwear lining, and hemmed with elastic-encased gold mystique spandex on the top, which helps to keep everything fitted but flexible on my arms. Chiffon was attached to the elastic on the arms to match her sleeves.
Lastly, to add a little homage to her purple sash in the full dress, while still keeping in line with a swim-friendly design, I used some scrap of my Jhudora swimsuit to create a small sash in holographic purple spandex. I used large gold sequins to add a little bling. The sequins are more reminiscent of her main purple dress, but I wanted to add a little more flare to the swimsuit that embodied her character!
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