Steampunk Madame

This costume was designed and made for the annual Pembroke Tea party that is held every year in Pembroke, MA. The theme for that year was Steampunk. I wanted to desgn something that was sexy, neo-victorian inspired, with a touch of Steampunk. I tried to use fabric and notions that I already had, so that's what directed the color scheme. I ended up making the dress in two pieces, allowing it to be accessorized differently for non-costume use.

Construction

Underdress

The underdress is made of burgundy unlined cotton sateen. It has princess seams and a pintucked button yoke on the front. The buttons fasten using looped elastic bands. The dress also has a small gathered mandarin collar with a black ruffle on it. The underdress has black poly spandex armhole and hem bindings as well.

Surcote

The surcote is made of interfaced black poly spandex with lots of gold brads on it. The dress is laced on the sides through gold hex nuts with leather lacing. The long brown poly spandex skirt is sewn into the black fabric and has a slit in the front.

Hat

The hat is a craft store hat that I starched, covered in fleece, and covered with silk on the outside, sateen on the inside, and the black poly spandex. I used lots of feathers and metal bits. The metal flower was made from mailbox numbers that I bent and glued together and then I used hex nuts in the middle of that. The hat also has gold jewelry findings that I broke apart, bent, and put back together again. There is also a little bit of gold chain on the hat. 

Accessories

The gloves are some faux suede with gold brads on them!