Since I have the beauty regimen figured out, I have begun constructing the remainder of my Jadis the White Witch costume. Although inspired by the Disney movie costume, my costume is my own interpretation and not an exact rendering.
The Dress
According to Narnia Web’s The Wardrobe Door, the White Witch’s dress as seen in the “Turkish Delight” and “Ice Castle” scenes in the Disney film is three layers: dyed velvet, felted wool and silk, and lace. While the dress is gorgeous, I don’t have the time or skill to make a dress with the construction or silhouette. (If you do have the time and interest in being this detailed, visit the Wardrobe Door Web site for further construction tips.)
I couldn’t find a pattern that matched the silhouette but was also simple to sew (if time is not a factor for you, I saw several bridal gown patterns that could be adapted for a more sophisticated costume), so I chose Burda pattern no. 7977, which is a simple, medieval-type long gown. The pattern is suited for womens’ sizes 10-24.
The fabric of choice is a white 100% cotton—cheap ($2.49/yd at Wal-Mart) and easy to work with. Jadis’ gown has short sleeves, but in cutting out the pattern, I opted to make the garment sleeveless for two reasons: 1) simplicity, and 2) my “fur” coat will be warm enough as it is. Removing the sleeves made it necessary to adjust the armholes, which I did by trimming closer to the neckline at the top of the armhole and adding darts to take in the excess fabric around the bottom of the armhole. I also cut the neck to more of a boatneck than the original pattern.
The back of the dress called for lacing; the pattern suggested buttonholes, but I did grommets, which was fun but time-consuming. I used a nubby white yarn for the laces because I already had it on hand and I thought it looked kind of whimsical.
Yesterday, I dip-dyed the dress with Dylon Permanent Fabric Dye in Light Blue (3 packets) and Carribean Blue (2 packets). I mixed up the dye in a plastic bin in my bathtub and dipped the bottom two-thirds of the dress in and out of the dye for about 30-45 minutes. This yielded a nice ombre effect, with a dark ice blue at the bottom to white from the bustline up. The packet’s instructions to wear rubber gloves should be heeded; my hands looked frostbitten by the end of the dye session.
While watching SNL (this weekend’s episode, for once, was actually funny), I cut rectangles of organza into ragged icicle shapes (bissect a rectangle on the diagonal and you end up with two triangles; see, geometry will help you make Halloween costumes). With Aleene’s Fabric Fusion glue, I attached the base of each icicle to the bodice of the dress.
NOTE: I toyed with the idea of doing a second layer that approximated felted wool, but I ran out of time to complete that part. Hobbs Heirloom Cotton Batting stretches and clumps kind of like wool and takes dye well (it was a lovely shade of blue after less than 20 minutes in the dye bath). If you want to make the felted layer, this batting would be a cheap place to start.
THE FUR CAPE
I don’t wear real fur, so that was out of the question. I found a sumptuous floor-length faux fur cape on eBay, but I had to pass since it’s $399! Another idea I had was to adapt a faux fur throw into a cape, but I couldn’t find one in the right color with the texture I wanted (a mink-pelt look). I looked at the faux fur at the fabric store and didn’t find anything promising there.
So for $15, I picked up a white furry bathrobe at Garden Ridge Pottery. The robe has thread of sparkly plastic woven into it, giving it the look of freshly fallen snow. So, OK, it doesn’t exactly look like fur, but I think it’s acceptable for the price.
THE WAND
An amazing-looking replica of the White Witch’s wand is available on several Web sites for $200+. If you have the means to buy that, you’re set. If not, here’s what I did. Again, this is more an “interpretation” of the wand than an exact duplication.
I purchased two unpainted wooden candlesticks from Michael’s, a craft store. The bottom flange unscrews, and I trimmed the candlestick down further so that they fit relatively flush on each end of a 18-inch-long dowel rod. (I attached the candlesticks to the dowel by drilling out holes in each piece and gluing a section of smaller dowel into the holes.) I didn’t sand or prime the wand before applying several coats of silver spray paint—but now I wish I had because it would have had a shinier chrome appearance.
The black hand grip is painted on (though my husband suggested a higher-end look could be achieved with black leather) and the silver swirls details are built up with squeezable fabric paint (what we used to call “puff paint” in my ’80s youth).
If you’re making your costume in the later half of October, you will probably be able to find acrylic icicles in the Christmas section of craft and department stores. I found several sizes of icicles at Garden Ridge. The icicles are secured in the cups of the candlesticks with lots of glue (this technique didn’t work as well as I hoped; the glue didn’t fully set for almost 2 days, and you can see that one of the icicles is askew in the photo above).
THE CROWN
On the hunt for a cheap tiara, I stopped at Claire’s. I was looking for one with open scrollwork on the front that would allow me to lash icicles to it. I almost paid $16 for a “prom” tiara, but then I saw the kids’ dress-up tiaras, which were simpler, with cheaper rhinestones, but still metal and only $5. Sold. I attached three of the plastic icicles to the front with small zip-ties. Then I painted the zip-ties silver.
TURKISH DELIGHT
What White Witch costume would be complete without that tempting treat? I ordered the Locoum Delights from Liberty Orchards (get the value pack under “Personal Treats” if you’re looking for a cheap option), which includes four flavors of Turkish Delight. I put the candy in a glass candy dish decorated with a snowflake pattern.
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Beauty Crucible 