18th Century Belle: The Plan

I have no real time frame in which I want to finish all of these pieces, but I thought I'd outline a basic plan of the items that I definitely want to make and those that I am considering making. The color palette I will be going for is one of soft blue, sage green, dusty pink, dark rose, and mustard yellow. I based this palette on color selections from screencaps of Belle's outfits and I think it's a lovely palette overall!

I will, of course, include some other neutral colors like black (for shoes) cream, and white, especially if I decide to a version of the dress from the end of the live action movie:

Though there is nothing about that dress that looks 18th century, I'm having some lovely ideas for it as a white floral dress inspired by dresses like these:

I would try to find or custom make a floral print that includes the colors from the other dresses for potential mix and match options. That, however, will be one of the last on my list of things to make since I want to focus on the outfits from the original animated film first. I'm also considering the dress from The Enchanted Christmas since I think it would translate beautifully into an 18th century style:

That dress is just begging to be made into an open robe gown with a cream colored stomacher and petticoat. I love the idea of a quilted petticoat for this dress since it's supposed to be a winter gown.

So what will I focus on first? Here's are some lists!

18th Century Belle: The Concept

I have been interested in historical fashion for many years. I do a lot of sewing, but haven't really delved into the realm of sewing historical dresses before. However, I've been seeing many historical dresses in some of the sewing communities I frequent and it's been inspiring me to try some of my own. One woman is even making an entire 18th century wardrobe of her own this summer. You can follow her progress on the Sewing Magic blog. If all these other seamstresses can make beautiful 18th century costumes, why can't I? The answer, of course, is I can! 

My next question then became what sorts of dresses would I make? I could just make whatever outfits struck my fancy with whatever fabrics I find, but I know myself and I know that having a theme will both help motivate me and limit me so I don't go too overboard and try to make a million different things. My mind was going all over the place with themes I could use but nothing felt quite right. Then one evening when I was lying in bed unable to fall asleep, inspiration hit! I could recreate the wardrobe of my favorite Disney character in an 18th century style.

Art by Maria Elena Naggi from The Art of The Disney Princess