Princess Leia – Star Wars (Ceremonial Dress)

Made for: MidSouthCon 2007

Background: Since I did the last minute version in 2005, I really wanted to remake this dress properly.

Journal Entries: Read more at my Ceremonial Leia tag

Related Costumes: Ceremonial Leia 2020, Ceremonial Leia 2005

Patterns Used:
possibly Butterick 4018

Dress:

I used a pattern for the basic dress, using a white fabric similar to the JetSet poly of the classic dress, but lighter weight. It’s self-lined, but can still be pretty see-through in the right light so I have to wear a slip, etc. Used poly chiffon for the sleeves – just draped these, cut, hemmed and sewn in place. In 2010, I removed the sleeves and made a new pair, using the original ones as a reference, and fixed some fit issues I had with the neckline. I’m still not totally happy with the fit of it but it’s slightly better.

Necklace:

The necklace is made of resin pieces, attached to a silver base necklace I bought at the craft store.

Belt:

The belt my dad helped me make – it is almost exactly the same as my ANH belt. I like how it turned out, though I’d like to re-do part of it – the silver leather dye I used is somewhat dull looking.

When I did my Jedi Leia costume in 2019, it needed to use this belt too, so I had my dad make 2 more conchos (it only had 5 originally) and replaced the velcro back closure with snaps. It’s still not as shiny as I’d like but I’m over that now LOL.

Accessories:

My shoes I found at goodwill and they are quite evil and uncomfortable. My hairpiece is one long braid, plus my classic Leia hairpieces.

History:

I never wore this one much because the shoes were SO painful, plus it never really quite fit right in the bust, which only got worse over time (my fault, not the dress’s), so in 2020 I made a new version which is much improved (and has new shoes that are much more comfortable!!)

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