Belle – Beauty and the Beast

Made for: Dragoncon 2005

Background: Done for a masquerade group with my friends for Dragoncon 2005!

Journal Entries: Read more at my Belle Ballgown tag

Related Costumes: Belle Ballgown 2012, Belle Village Dress 2012, Winter Belle, Library Belle

Patterns Used:
Possibly Simplicity 4900 as a skirt base, I think Simplicity 4731 for the bodice, altered.

Fabric:

I was very picky about the shade of yellow I wanted, so I looked for a long time for something that would do. There wasn’t much in the way of yellow fabric at my local stores – I finally came across a bolt of pale yellow material that I really liked, colour-wise and weight-wise, with a slight pattern to it. I picked a pale yellow organza for the skirt overlay, and shoulder piece.

Bodice:

I used a pattern for the bodice – it is lined with cotton, with spiral steel boning, and laces up the back. I added the little shoulder drape made out of the organza material, it’s just tacked down to create the shape I wanted, then sewn in place at the center front. I originally had a trio of fake jewels at the center neckline, but in 2006 replaced it with roses, and added sequinned trim up the side seams as well as some extra beading to make it all a little more sparkly.

Skirt:

I already had a hoopskirt/petticoat, and used a basic skirt pattern to make the skirt. Made each layer of the overlay and gathered them, and attached them at the waistband of the skirt. I beaded the overlay with glass beads. In 2006 I added new drapes at the bottom, and replaced the jewels at each gather with roses.

Accessories:

The gloves I bought and dyed, the shoes were dyed, and I glued rhinestones & sequins to them.

2006 Upgrades:

I added a new layer of white and pale yellow organza to the bottom of the overlay, and replaced the rhinestones at each gather on the dress with roses – I bought artificial roses online, and dyed and painted them to match the dress. I added clear sequins to several places on the dress – the skirt overlay, the shoulder sections, and the headband. I bought some white & sequinned trim that I added to the bodice, and I’ve also through 3 different hoopskirts over the years. The one I’m wearing in the white backdrop photos was the latest active one. That one got bent out of shape over the years, and currently (as of 2025) I don’t really have a hoopskirt that fits it well anymore, they’re all either too big or too small, you can see just in these 2 pics I have embedded here in the description how different the skirt fits these 2 different hoopskirts.

Wig:

Bought on ebay. I styled the bangs, and I added the bun and the widows’ peak.

History:

This is one of my favourite costumes, I really love it. In 2012, I made a new version, since this one was getting rather fragile, and I wanted to try a different take on it.

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