HISTORY
Probably the most well known costume from "Phantom of the Opera", as Christine wears it through some of the loveliest scenes. This was my first "Phantom" costume ever. I choose it for two reasons: first of all, it seemed less advanced that the others. Second, as written above, it's probably the most known costume, and I *ADORE* the scenes where that costume is used... My intention was to use the original London gown as inspiration, with full skirt and a rose ribbon in the waist and on the sleeves. But on the way I got inspired by the Danish and Hamburg versions, and now only the cuffs bears traces of the original Brightman inspiration. Eventually the cuffs will be altered as well, so they'll be fuller and longer.
FOUR VERSIONS
I have made four dressing gowns in total. The first one is the one I'm wearing in the pictures above. The second was two-layered, as I saw in the Danish production, but I wasn't content and gave it away before it was completed. The third version was a gown I made for Halloween, as I went to America without any costumes. In October. *rolls eyes*. The third gown was probably the most well made, and I had a lot of fun wearing it (although people didn't recognize my character - one person even guessed "a drag queen"... Hahaha!). That one was actually sold on eBay. After that I have also made a custom made dressing gown for Selenity (the fourth, and so far, last version). Her costume is based on the US ones, with heavy lace cuffs and ruffles all around the skirt. However, the seams in the back of the bodice are curved, like a Spencer jacket, and the skirt pleated in the back and narrower in front. She used it for Halloween right after she got it, and looked spectacular. A picture can be found in the gallery.
I've since re-done my first version, and I like it very much as it is now. The skirt has a train, and the belt is very nicely decorated. I've also added a ruffle to the skirt, because I made that for Selenity's version and I liked it very much - it gave an authentic feel to the robe.
MATERIALS USED:
2 m. of white paisley patterned fabric (skirt + train)
2 m. of white paisley patterned fabric (bodice and belt)
3 m. of laces (bodice)
4 m. of laces (cuffs)
0,6 m. of sequenced ribbon (sleeves)
app. 1,5 m. of thin organza coming from a shawl
8 metres of thin, white lace to decorate the ruffle
THE DRESS:
As a start I decided to search the web for information. As the "Wishing" dress, I had to study tons of pictures and decide which version I wanted to recreate. I choose the original London version, with a full skirt, almost (but not quite) transparent fabric, a tight fitted bodice and no laces on the skirt. But along the way I got inspired by the late Hamburg gown (see gallery) and the full-laced Danish version (also in the gallery), and last but not least Maria Bjørnson's costume sketch.
I begun my replica making with endless searches in all of Oslo's fabric shops (I believe finding the right fabrics and materials for a costume is half the job, and therefore I spend A LOT of time in fabric shops... That's my excuse anyway....). Beause of all the wonderful Pakistani and Indian shops in Oslo, it wasn't as difficult as I feared. And a bonus with these shops is that they are quite cheap compared to traditional stores. The fabric I choose, has a nice paisley like pattern, and it appears to be transparent. And it changes colour after what light it is displayed in. In sunset it's pink, in candle lights it's warm cream, andnd in daylight it's blue. Very fascinating! In another store I found some wonderful laces in the same nuance as the fabric, and with a nice flower pattern.
My next project was to try to work out a pattern. I decided not to line the gown, as it is meant to be more like a morning shift or a dressing gown. And besides, I wanted it to fall loosely. I thought in the beginning that the stage version aren't lined either, but it appeared those are two layered.
The pattern was actually the most difficult task. I wanted the dress to be tight, but still loose fitted. There are lovely versions which looks very unfitted in the waist (Canadian and Australian), and they don't appeal to me as much as the well-fitted ones. The skirt was cut into three panels, a curved front panel, a straight front panel (going under the curved one) and a back panel with train. The back panel was also pleated in the waist. My first version of the skirt was made out of ONE panel, and that worked fine without train. But because I wanted a train, I had to re-do it a little. Then I started out making the sleeves. Here too I used the standard pattern for sleeves, making it slightly longer at the elbow. The laces was pleated directly on the sleeve, but it might be easier to wrinkle it BEFORE attaching. I sewed it on so that I got a nice frilled top, and I also attached a nice sequenced ribbon at the cuff. The bodice is made out of three pieces; one almost square piece in the back, and two bias cut front panels with one side going over the other. The laces were pleated directly on the bodice, and sewn on.
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