|
|
Pattern Detail: Galadriel's Prolog Dress
Elf dresses are designed to be worn on people with little
hip or bust. Therefore, there is very little shaping to the dress.
Most of the design is based on fabric choice and beading detail.
Galadriel's prolog dress is typical of all her dresses, as
well as a number of other elves. In the description, we will note
standards vs. what is unique for this dress.
Basic Description
This dress is a once piece dress, but because of the odd pattern
shaping, we will refer to the pieces as bodice and skirt.
Bodice
- The dress has no seaming in front or darts shaping it.
(This allows for the full
beauty of the fabric to
shine though.
- There
are side seams that are doing the shaping
- There is an invisible zipper in the center back.
- There
is an odd shaped waist seam that starts high center back at the waist line and drops towards
the hips and ends in a point at center front.
- That seam is
hidden under the belt.
- Note: This is the
standard shape for all the
main elf dresses.
Neck line
- Neckline is a very
wide scoop in front and
back, almost boat necked.
(Think the wide sweeping
outline of the hull of a
ship.)
- Like the Mirror Dress
there is about a 2 inch
wide strip of fabric that
forms the "unique" design
of this dress. The
strip forms a shaped neck
facing. Over the top
is lightly draped fabric
to form a cowl like folds
of fabric at the neckline.
- Note, this is *not*
actually a cowl neck
because the under-facing
is shaped and lays flat.
|
|
Note the neckline is very wide but not
a deep scoop, almost off the shoulders. |
Very blurry, but you can see some of
the back of the neckline where it is not covered by the hair.
Note how the back scoops almost the same as the front. |
Sleeve
- One part, tight at
upper arm, quickly flaring
at elbow. Extends
far beyond finger tips
Skirts
- The front panel of the
skirt is seamed straight
and very well matched.
- So well matched that
it was not until the
belt was moved on the
dress at the FIDM
exhibit, that one could
even tell there was a
seam there.
- The sides seams flares
out on both the front and
back.
- The dress trains in
back about 8" to 10".
- The center back seam
of the skirt is cut at
about a 45 degree angle.
- Angle is guessed at
from observation based
on the geometric design
of the fabric..
Just about every other
pattern in the design is
matched up...
- The skirt is bag
lined, so it is likely
that the top half of the
dress is flat lined.
The main seam is at the
waist.
- Actually this
construction technique
makes quite a bit of
sense considering that
Cate was down in New
Zealand for a very short
time before the shooting
started.
- Fit the dress inside
out, fit the sides of
the bodice, the attach
the pre-hemmed skirt at
the waist by truing
it.... and quick fit...
all done.
|
This blurry shot from the back of the display at FIDM
shows the seam of the "invisible" zipper.
This zipper extends all the way up the crown neck in back.
There is no attempt to hide it. (cannot see it here, was
confirmed the first week the figure was on display before it got hair.
|
|
|
|
|
Prelim (and badly done
sketch) New version
coming soon.
- Ignore the top of
the bodice and the
sleeve. Neck
should be wider, there
is a facing there the
bodice is attached to.
- Front on left,
back on right
- The bodice seam is
100% correct. It
really cuts to a point
in front, sits at the
hips and ends at high
back... exactly where
the waist sits.
|
|
Skirt pattern, standard
- Center front
(left),
straight w/ selvage,
seamed, side flared.
- Back dotted line
(right) is aprox center back.
Flared on side and in
back. Trained.
- Note dotted line
at waist. That
is the natural waist
vs. the dark line is
the shape.
|
|
|
|
Notes for recreating this dress
If you are not very rectangle shaped, you will not be able to recreate
this pattern exactly with out darts or princess seaming. How
you shape it will depend on your body type.
-
Note... I'm not stating "thin", just hips, bust and waist need to be close to
the same measurements. So, large ladies built rectangle as well as
very thin, no bust or hips, will be able to wear the exact pattern, others with have to add
subtle darting or additional seaming to shape.
-
Since no pattern exists exactly like this you will need to do a muslin.
Do it with very wide seams. If the dress (and skirt) are
heavily beaded, the final dress will fit different than the muslin because
of the weight of the skirt. Fit the dress inside out. Pin the
skirt to the bodice at the line where the belt will sit.
-
Don't be afraid to tack down the belt to keep it laying perfectly over the
seam. It laces down the back so you can still unzip with the belt
attached. (Tacking something in to place is a very "movie" thing to
do anyway.)
-- pattern and notes by Cat, from a number of hours
spent with this dress when it was shown at FIDM in 2001
LOTR Home | Prolog Dress | Mirror Dress | Under a Spell | Galadriel's Accessories | Grey Haven's Cloak | Silverload Cloak | Hair
Up | Pattern Detail | Belt Detail | Sleeve Detail | Fabric Detail
|