Marie Antoinette: Mauve Gown

Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette is absolute eye candy.  I love the gowns, the shoes, the jewelry, and hopefully, in the future, I can work towards making more of them.  Her mauve gown is seen here, toward the end of the film, as the Revolution looms...

It is definitely one of her more 'sedate' gowns, with a lovely hairstyle to match.  She is also seen in a brief outdoor scene sporting a matching hat:

I won't lie...the main reason I opted for this gown over the more decadent dresses was the fact that I had a large roll of mauve moire taffeta at my disposal.  The original, of course, is silk, but since the colors are similar and the taffeta is nice to work with, I decided to make this one for Dallas All Con, as Cassandra was making another gown from the same film.
Fabric:  Moire taffeta for the gown and underskirt, silky solid for the hat covering.

Pattern: Simplicity 4092 as a base, with modifications to the sleeves and neckline.

Hat:  A straw hat base ordered from a historical clothing site.  It seemed way too big when I first started decorating it, but after it was placed over the wig with the dress, it all balanced out.  I covered it with the mauve silky solid fabric and trimmed it out with pink dahlias, ruffled taffeta, and ostrich feathers.

Panniers:  I had some that I had made a couple of years ago, but they were terrible!  So I bit the bullet and ordered a nice set from Smiling Fox Forge.  Love them!!!

Extras:  Five covered buttons for the bodice, and lots of hand-ruffled, hand-frayed trim for the bodice and wrists.

Wig: 'Sweet Marie' by Rubies.  It needed some styling and spraying with the white hair coloring, but the blonde was nice and soft...not too brassy.  Very good for those more subtle hairstyles MA sports in the last  scenes of the film.

Earrings:  Glass pearl drops in white and pink.  I had made them a while back, and they matched up well, so now they belong to this costume.

Shoes:  Refurbished leather mules I bought for a buck at the local thrift shop.  I covered them with a creamy velvety fabric and trimmed them out with ostrich feathers, lace, and leftover frayed ruffles from the gown.  They are soooo comfortable!

This was a very fun dress to wear.   It's another dress that makes the wearer feel like a queen.  With the heavy boning and the panniers, it's almost impossible to not carry yourself well as you walk, sit, etc. Plus, it was totally budget-friendly, as I already had the fabric, feathers, laces, button blank, and trims. It was great to wear this gown with a fellow MA enthusiast...Cassandra's black velvet ermine was to die for! 
Events: Dallas All Con 2011
Awards: 1st place-Historical Category, All Con Costuming Contest; Best in Show, All Con Costuming Contest (entered with Cassandra Munroe as a pair of Maries--we were stunned and honored!)