- Elsa Dress Front
Have you noticed how Disney's Frozen has seemed to hypnotize every modern little girl in the world? Like one day, we had a nation of sweet little girls running around without a care in the world, and the next they were all like a bunch of Let It Go zombies? OK... Well, maybe not Zombies, but Frozen sure is popular! Having a five and half-year-old daughter myself, it was inevitable that we would get Frozen fever at some point or another. And, as soon as she saw the movie for the first time, she was hooked!
- Elsa Dress Back
My daughter is a fashionista by nature. She can take the mismatched items from her closet, and make them look like the top of the line couture. It's a gift and, she didn't get that talent from me! I did however know that I was going to need to make her an Elsa inspired dress. At some point or another, she was going to ask for one, and I had better get going on it before she just has to have it.
That was just over three weeks ago. Needless to say, it's been a long journey from initial concept to final dress. There were hours upon hours of watching the movie, looking at photos and making sketches. Followed by cutting, sewing, tearing down, and putting it all back together again. I have made mistakes, changed my mind, and ultimately made a dress I am pretty excited about.
Whenever you're making a design reflective of a popular character, it is important to stay true to the design, while keeping it appropriate and comfortable for wear. I didn't spend a lot of time looking at what other people have made. I find this really takes away from my own personal creativity and really affects my end designs... Having said this, the few dresses I did see all had one element or another that I was not a fan of. For Disney Princess Elsa, the biggest design element I disagreed with was the slit in the skirt. I also didn't like the look of the flat A-line skirt I saw on many of the dresses. The other element that kept popping up in the handmade versions I stumbled upon, was ill-fitting bodices. They were saggy or too long. This is OK if you are sewing for yourself or your own child. However, most of these folks are selling their dresses.
To address the issues I was seeing, this Elsa dress was designed with a sweetheart neckline accented with a gorgeous rhinestone snowflake fit for a true princess, and darts in the front and back to fit beautifully to the body. It won't have that saggy look you'll find in many other Elsa dresses being made. I designed this dress with a full A-line skirt that has a twirl-worthy tulle underlay and an oh, so comfortable cotton lining. Keeping comfort and modesty in mind, I did not add a slit in the skirt. ( I don't intend to add a slit at any point either... Jessica Rabbit, anyone?)
- Rhinestone Button
The back is velcro so little princesses can put it on and take it off all by herself! The train is removable to enhance the comfort level. Not every little girl will want the train on all the time.. being removable allows for the dress to be worn whenever, wherever. I used velcro for the train for the same reason I used it for the dress closure. It is easy for a child to put it on and take it off themselves. I did consider snaps in leu of velcro, but I wanted her to be able to wear her dress without help from mommy.
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