Cinderella in detail

So, my sister got a new camera, and as promised: more photos of the Regency inspired Cinderella outfit!
The short gown: I sew everything by hand, which means I need to like the feel of whatever fabric I’m working with, and I love linen, so when I accidentally dyed some white linen this light blue color (rookie mistake that I still make: forgetting to wash all my new fabric SEPARATELY) I decided it was perfect for this little gown! Worked out great since the cotton I bought for this project ended up feeling too stiff and I hated my first attempt. (Also, this was the third of fourth attempt at this deceptively simple project; getting the ratio of tiny skirt right so that it didn’t look ridiculously floofy at the back took several attempts...in several fabrics, like I mentioned.) I based my short gown on this one with the front drawstring opening, and made the skirt a little shorter. It’s still not the most flattering, but that’s not really the point of this anyway, right? Work clothes seldom are!

  I also pinned on a little Northanger Abbey book locket charm that was a Christmas gift from my brother and his wife in a nod to the shared love of books between the young girl and her father in Ever After, another favorite (historical!) Cinderella adaptation. It seemed like the kind of cute little brooch her dad might have gifted her before his death. I forgot to take off my wedding ring but left off other jewelry.
  On the back I put two white cloth covered buttons to help hold up the apron, since the Regency waist is so unnaturally high, as on this short gown.

 The brown skirt is sewn from a sturdy cotton with stiff body; I initially tried to put a whole 3yards of fabric into it but NOPE, waaaay too much when the fabric is not the usual lightweight sheer cotton that I usually sew these skirts with. So I ended up using the Sense and Sensibility Regency gown pattern from Simplicity. I imagine the skirt to come from a gown handed down to Cinderella from one of her stepsisters after she damaged, or perhaps simply tired of, her gown. Perhaps she remade it into a spencer or tore one of the sleeves on a country walk...either way, I left the pattern long (I have short legs!) and took up the excess with tucks, because of course Cinderella is more petite than her stepsisters, and I think she would have wanted to wear pretty things, even if they were old hand-me-downs. Tucks were a way to add interest to a hemline and otherwise very simple silhouette. Plus it needed to be short enough not to trip me going up the stairs with full hands!

  As a thank you to my sister for the awesome pictures, I made dinner in full regalia to add some patina. Only splattered a little tomato on myself - thank goodness for modern washing and drying and gentle soaps!