COSTUMES
Marie Antoinette (the movie)
Costume inspired by Marie Antoinette's "Hangover Scene" gown
October 2008
This was my rushed foray into historical costuming. A friend of mine wanted to have a group of 18th c. theme costumes for a Halloween Party. I'd always had the Marie Antoinette Kirsten Dunst "hangover" gown in the back of my mind after studying it on display at FIDM in Los Angeles.
Due to extreme time constraints (I believe I only had about a month to work on this costume) I did not have time to shop for screen accurate shot teal dupioni, and settled for a blue and gold shot silk taffeta I found locally at Thai Silks in Los Altos, Ca. Due to limited time I was also forced to opt for the Robe a l' Anglaise a la polonaise style as opposed to the screen accurate en fourreau pleating in the back of the gown. (With only a few weeks to mock-up the costume, fit and embellish it, it was not a good time to confuse myself even more with learning en fourreau!) Some other parts of the mock-up were more rushed than I'd usually do, hence this is only "Inspired" and misses the mark for being an actual recreation of the gown worn in the movie.
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Reference Photos
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(Photos above taken by Isabella at the Sony Studio Tour waiting area.)
For more reference photos, please visit The Costumers Guide
PATTERN: JP Ryan Robe a l Anglaise 1760-1785 Pattern
FABRIC AND TRIM : Blue and gold shot silk taffeta from Thai Silks. The taffeta was cut into strips and frayed along the edges to create the bright blue fringe effect. The center of the trim is strips of pleated silver metallic organza from Thai Silks. The sleeves and neck line are also trimmed with lace netting.
FITTING : For some reason, the bodice proved to be exceptionally difficult for me to fit. The fit became noticeably worse after I'd lost weight between Halloween 2008 and July 2009. I may get the urge to re-fit the garment after I make proper 18th c. stays (I had to fudge and use my modified Elizabethan corset under the garment!)
SHOES : The "Martha" shoe from Fugawee.
UNDERPINNINGS: Putting together the costume in a hurry, I ordered panniers from Smiling Fox rather than making my own. However, I believe the dress may look better with smaller pocket hoops (I purchased the panniers before I knew for certain if I was making a Robe a l'Anglaise or Robe a la Francaise. I had to have it rushed out in time for my impending fittings!). I had no time to make 18th C stays, so had to use my modified Elizabethan-ish stays made for my Padme Senate Gown.
HAIR: I based the hairstyle on those worn by Kirsten Dunst in the movie, rather than aiming for more historically accurate styles. I made a rat (netting filled with some leftover synthetic hair), curled my hair, and carefully pinned the rat to the top of my head. I then covered the rat section by section by pinning my curled hair over the rat. I finished off the back of my head by adding on a curly wiglet in a color matching my own hair. (Jon Renau Style 602 Addition Plus). I then sprayed my hair with bumble and bumble white hair powder. I should have used more though, it didn't stick well.
