Wednesday Weekly Wishlist: Victorian Burlesque Shamrock Dancer

Happy St. Paddy’s Day! Everyone is Irish today, even this Frog. What better day to tell you about this wishlist project, my Victorian Burlesque Shamrock Dancer. It’s an original design by me, but it was inspired by the dancers we glimpse in Moulin Rouge (2001). You know the way they all seem to have a theme, such as The School Girl, The Pearly Queen, etc.; well I want to be the Shamrock.

Here is the long story of how the idea for this outfit came to me. It all started with shoes. Back in the fall of 2007, I was shopping eBay for some shoes for my Fiona costume. I was searching for “green velvet shoes” hoping to find those Velvet Mary Janes you can get from Renaissance / Medieval stores, but at a discount (and I did by the way, for half the price). My search turned up, amongst many other results, these beauties:

Green Rockabilly Pumps

They were so gorgeous, I just really wanted them. Somehow, I equated walking in these shoes to walking on money, as if wearing the colour of prosperity on my feet would bring wealth to me. (Bear with the pagan witch!)

I ended up getting them to wear for Christmas, but the pin-up pictures that had illustrated the sale page stayed in my mind until finally it struck me: these shoes were perfect for a costume! Then one thing led to another and I came to imagine the Victorian Burlesque Shamrock Dancer.

Now as with any project, I like to collect images for inspiration. Here are a few.

The first is the McCall’s pattern that was my original inspiration.

McCall's 3674

I really liked the look of the little red number (upper right corner).

Then, there is this drawing of some Victorian Burlesque Dancers.

Victorian Burlesque Dancers

(Notice how curvy they were? Makes a round girl feel good about herself!)

I was also pleased when I found this next one: it is a Burlesque Victorian Vampiress Adult costume.

Burlesque Victorian Vampiress Adult Costume

You know how I usually feel about commercial costumes, but here, the skirt part is just how I had imagined mine.

The way I see it in my mind, it would consist of maybe a corset, a shirt/chemise, the apron and top back part of a bustle skirt (just like in the above picture), long gloves, fishnet tights, a small top hat over my old Irish Dancing wig (a ringlet pony fall), and of course, my wonderful shoes.

For the hat, I think I’ll get one of these small plastic ones sold at the Dollar store around St. Patrick’s Day and use it to make a mould, just like in the Threadbanger tutorial. This way I can make one out of wool. Now, I had grabbed one in perfect shaped from the side walk after the parade last Sunday, but my daughter got to it, and let’s just say, it is unrecognizable.

That’s it folks! Eat, Drink, Be merry, but wary!