Modern Marie
June of 2025 I attended Le Grand Bal Masque at the Versailles Palace in France which allows attendees to transport themselves to the lavish court life of the 17th and 18th century. When I started working on the design of my dress I immediately looked to Marie Antionette, as she pushed fashion boundaries and was known for her extravagent style during the baroque period. While I did my best to keep the dress as time accurate as possible, modern elements were used to elevate the design.
I did a few abstract sketches of inspiration for my dress that were done on grey paper, with white paint and pearl droplets.
Once I created the base dress I started on all the detailing. I started by dip dyeing the end of the dress to an ombre pink that would match the color accents on the dress as well as the wig. Then I added all the lace trims and bows, also hand dyed to keep a consistant color throughout the dress. I then sewed on appliques to the hips and back of the corset. After that, I hand embriodered pearls over the entire bodice and spread out over the sleeves. I then sewed crystal clear droplets onto the white lace trim for the bodice to create an more opulent look. I created a rosette with leftover fabric and some pearls which was then sewed onto the dress with a pink rope tassel to add a draping effect. Another pink rope tassel was then added to the side of the dress which was heavily inspired by a famous Marie Antionette portrait from the 18th century. I also made Lastly, I created a beaded mesh mask to match the dress and wig and was also inspired by the masquerade ball in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antionette movie in 2006. Please see the full look below!
