Titanic swimdress: my own version!

Today I'm really happy: I finished my Titanic swimdress, finally! It took me more than three weeks of work but there's a long story behind. I fell in love with this dress when I watched "Titanic" in 1997 for the first time. I was 13. I dreamt that costume until now, when I felt ready to sew my own version. I looked for a pale lilac chiffon on the web and I ordered it last November but - alas - I never get it. So I immediately started to look for another fabric  but I had to stop my search to sew another Tudor gown. Then, last month, I found a beautiful pale pink chiffon at the local market and yeah, that was MY chiffon! I already knew my version wouldn't have been an accurate reproduction but I love to combine elements from my fantasy and my budget (always small). 

Fabrics used: 

- Champagne satin for the bodice

- Beige lining for the bodice

- Ivory chiffon for the skirt

- Pink chiffon for the underskirt

- Pink satin for the first sash

- Pale lilac for taffeta for the second sash 

- Pink satin for the main sash

- Pale pink chiffon for the overdress

Huge choice, uh?

So, I used as reference many photos of the costume and I saw there's a great choice of colours (someone sewn it in white, someone in light blue, someone in lilac...). The original one has a pale lilac bodice and a skirt done with different layers of dyed chiffon, but they were too many for my own version. I started sewing the bodice and I attached it to the pink underskirt.

I immediately understood my choice of a closed bodice was a fatal error 'cause putting it on the dummy has been a real pain due to the shoulders (but it looks great on me lol). Then, I sewn the ivory skirt and I pleated it according to my personal tastes. After this step, I handsewn the pink satin sash. While looking at it with attention, I noticed I didn't like it: that pink shade was too strong, too bright, too fake. It didn't looked period at all. So I looked for an alternative sash and I found a beautiful pale lilac taffeta which matched it very good and gave to the dress a more authentic look. 

The overdress has been so exciting: it was my first time with chiffon and I spent many hours in hemming it by hand. Meanwhile, I got my new serger and - hurray! - I could refine seams with that without getting crazy with french seams! The overdress has a high waistline and it's gently pleated on the back, giving to the body a very elegant shape even without my longline corset (which I'll wear under the dress though). It ends with a small train which flows when I walk: dreamy! 

A different sash

More photos to come!