Copyright AriaAustin, 1999 - 2010, all rights reserved.
"The Passion of Cinderella"
From the moment I first saw this Franklin Mint doll, The Passion of Cinderella, by by Doll of the Year award-winner Bernice Mowry, I was obsessed with one day making her mine. It took a while to justify spending three figures for a doll at the age of 18, though my personally collection included several that were far more valuable, received as gifts. All of them paled in comparison to this doll, and I never knew why. There was just something about this doll that made her more beautiful to me than any other I had ever seen in all my years attending doll shows with my grandmother (very fond memories) and reading doll-makers' magazines. After about a year, I decided to bite the bullet and order her. The say she arrived took my breath away. From her springy curls to crystal tiara to her glitter-encrusted "glass" slippers, she was just perfect to me.
I knew I wanted to make her gown for myself one day, and I also knew there were certain elements that wouldn't be practical. For instance, she may be able to hold her arms up forever,
but for a real woman, that would become uncomfortable after a while,
with the alternative being to go ahead and put arms down, but then have
silk flowers under the armpits. That wouldn't be so comfortable either.
The flowers on the sheer lavender overtrain and on the bottom of the
blue skirt are beautiful when standing still. but would be a hassle when
moving about normally, and, in the case of the overskirt, possibly cause
the corners to turn under in an unflattering way. The two solutions I
could see would be to eliminate the flowers under the arms and at the
bottom or the skirt and train, or make them removable. But when would
they ever be pinned on? Who would want to stay to still and not move?
In 2002 I was invited to participate in a pageant as the sole plus-sized
entrant, and I decided to go for it. The day before the pageant was to
take place, I didn't feel my evening gown was special enough. It was the
standard run-of-the-mill beaded type gown "everyone" wears. So with
barely any time left, I decided that this was my chance. Like lightening
I rounded up the supplies I needed and got to cutting and sewing.
Along the way I decided that the streamers in front only added bulk in
places I didn't want bulk added. Perhaps on a size 2 girl, maybe even
another size 22, but for me, they just didn't work. The fabric I was
using wasn't stretchy at all, so I decided against making the gauntlets. Measure around your elbow with your arm straight, and again with it bent up, and you will see there is a considerable difference that would require either a stretchy fabric or a lot of bagginess to accommodate a bent elbow using non-stretch fabric. But the rest is the same.
The gown zips on the side with an invisible zipper. The bodice is dotted with sequins and crystal beads. Iridescent strung "pearls" that seem to glow trim the overtrain. The overtrain is removable by two hooks and eyes hidden under the pink silk rose.
This gown was made using a smooth, rayon-cotton blend satin-weave fabric for the gown and poly chiffon for the overtrain, one of the rare times I have used poly chiffon. The reason for this is that a train drags on the ground, and silk chiffon stags as easily as a pair of nylons. For a skirt that won't be dragged along the ground, there's no need for concern. For a train, however, the risk of snags is pretty high. My pricing is for poly chiffon, though I will use silk chiffon if requested. The detached sleeves can be made if a blue knit is used for the dress. The streamers can be made is desired for no additional cost, and would also be detachable.
A deluxe gown can be made using silk charmeuse, silk chiffon, flat-backed Swarovski crystals on the bust, and bicone Swarovski crystals trimming the train and top of the bodice. In white, this would make an amazing wedding gown.
All versions are lightly boned for support.
Gown as shown or with silk overtrain, streamers if desired: $675
Gown in knit with sleeves: $850
Swarovski flat-backed crystals instead of sequins: add $40
Deluxe gown: $1,425
but for a real woman, that would become uncomfortable after a while,
with the alternative being to go ahead and put arms down, but then have
silk flowers under the armpits. That wouldn't be so comfortable either.
The flowers on the sheer lavender overtrain and on the bottom of the
blue skirt are beautiful when standing still. but would be a hassle when
moving about normally, and, in the case of the overskirt, possibly cause
the corners to turn under in an unflattering way. The two solutions I
could see would be to eliminate the flowers under the arms and at the
bottom or the skirt and train, or make them removable. But when would
they ever be pinned on? Who would want to stay to still and not move?
In 2002 I was invited to participate in a pageant as the sole plus-sized
entrant, and I decided to go for it. The day before the pageant was to
take place, I didn't feel my evening gown was special enough. It was the
standard run-of-the-mill beaded type gown "everyone" wears. So with
barely any time left, I decided that this was my chance. Like lightening
I rounded up the supplies I needed and got to cutting and sewing.
Along the way I decided that the streamers in front only added bulk in
places I didn't want bulk added. Perhaps on a size 2 girl, maybe even
another size 22, but for me, they just didn't work. The fabric I was
using wasn't stretchy at all, so I decided against making the gauntlets. Measure around your elbow with your arm straight, and again with it bent up, and you will see there is a considerable difference that would require either a stretchy fabric or a lot of bagginess to accommodate a bent elbow using non-stretch fabric. But the rest is the same.
The gown zips on the side with an invisible zipper. The bodice is dotted with sequins and crystal beads. Iridescent strung "pearls" that seem to glow trim the overtrain. The overtrain is removable by two hooks and eyes hidden under the pink silk rose.
This gown was made using a smooth, rayon-cotton blend satin-weave fabric for the gown and poly chiffon for the overtrain, one of the rare times I have used poly chiffon. The reason for this is that a train drags on the ground, and silk chiffon stags as easily as a pair of nylons. For a skirt that won't be dragged along the ground, there's no need for concern. For a train, however, the risk of snags is pretty high. My pricing is for poly chiffon, though I will use silk chiffon if requested. The detached sleeves can be made if a blue knit is used for the dress. The streamers can be made is desired for no additional cost, and would also be detachable.
A deluxe gown can be made using silk charmeuse, silk chiffon, flat-backed Swarovski crystals on the bust, and bicone Swarovski crystals trimming the train and top of the bodice. In white, this would make an amazing wedding gown.
All versions are lightly boned for support.
Gown as shown or with silk overtrain, streamers if desired: $675
Gown in knit with sleeves: $850
Swarovski flat-backed crystals instead of sequins: add $40
Deluxe gown: $1,425
