The dress started with a sketch, and the idea changed slightly as I worked on it. I was planning to have it finished for the South Eastern Theatre Conference Design/Technology Competition that was in a month from when I started. With that time crunch, I had to try my best to stick to the plan without many changes.

The process of construction started with a drafted sloper. I wanted to create a strange wrinkle when the sleeves were worn, so I opted for a curved kimono sleeve. The dress was intended to be constricting, so it is nearly a pencil all the way down to the knee, where it begins to trumpet out toward the back train. The shawl actually turned out to be quite difficult to draft appropriately, so I draped the cape lining. After there was a base shape, it was easier to create the gathered shapes that would later be stuffed.

I wanted to stick to an incredibly small budget, so many of my fabrics were actually thrifted, such as the curtains I used for the stuffed elements at the shawl and skirt. The cotton batik was on sale, and added a lot of texture where I did not have the time to add it myself. The textures I did add were interesting to figure out, like the technique I used on the tulle overlay at the bottom of the skirt, which I crinkled with a heat gun to achieve a more organic look.