Lady Gaga: Just Dance Dress

I was stewing on a few Lady Gaga costumes some time ago; I wanted to make one that was wearable and that I could possibly commission, not necessarily for myself.  Since I don't really keep up with her video wardrobe (I have seen some of the highly publicized red carpet costumes), this one nearly slipped by me!  But I came across it online and thought it would be a fun costume to try.
So....I watched the video, then drafted myself a pattern.  It looks like a pretty simple but very cute batwing dress in a pseudo-zebra style print.  The collar is made with what looks like a black and white leopard print.  I actually found two fabrics that will work.  One (the one in the photos) looks more 'zebra' than the other.  As for the black/white leopard print...after some searcing, I found a similar fabric.  The collar stands pretty well in the video, so I added an extra layer to it and reinforced it with interfacing. 
It's actually very wearable--you can adjust the length by a few inches and move freely in it, which is more than I can say for a lot of costumes I've worn:).  I'll hopefully be putting this one in my etsy shop very soon!

"Labyrinth" Ball Gown

I really liked this movie growing up....a little creepy at times, but where there is David Bowie, you can do no wrong.  Anyhew, I thought the ballroom scene was magical, and the dress worn by Sarah was the quintessential fairie-tale gown.  So I thought I'd make a version of it, wear it briefly to D*C, then sell it.  It didn't go exactly as planned.  But I love it anyway!

Patterns:  I actually used 3 patterns to finish this gown:  for the bodice: Simplicity 2966; for the sleeves: Simplicity # 4156; for the skirt: Simplicity #3791.

Fabrics:  Heavy white satin for the underlayer; white sparkle tulle and white netting for the 'middle' layers; iridescent sheet for the outerlayer. Crinkle organza would be more advisable.

Extras:  I hand-beaded the designs on the bodice in gold bugle and seed beads, and I also added AB swarovski crystals here and there.  I made the necklace out of several types of glass beads in clear and AB, twisted around gold jewelry wire.  The hoop skirt was purchased on ebay--a bridal hoop with 6 layers!  The biggest I could find!  I also made the hairpieces out of white and iridescent ribbon and wire.  The brooch on the skirt was made out of sculpey, then texturized.  I added AB swarovski rhinestones.  The beading took about 2 months to complete (around the bodice and the sleeves).  I wish *now* that I would have used gold lace instead.  Will consider if I ever decide to do a version 2.0!

I wore this gown for about 2 hours at D*C, but it was a very busy time, and it was difficult to move around in such a large gown.  So that was it.  I did get some photos in, though, and several people recognized the gown and wanted pictures.  A little girl wanted her picture taken with me, which was soooo sweet! 
Instead of selling the gown (which I still may do), I temporarily loaned the gown to a local production of 'Cinderella.'  It looked great onstage!