Starfire Phoenix > Lord of the Rings

This gown is gorgeous. I loved it from the moment I saw it. I just love the way that it drapes, and the dark green is amazing. Anyway, Eowyn is first seen wearing this when she runs up the stairs to see Theodred, who has just arrived, very gravely wounded. It's rather dark and you don't see it well until later on, when Eomer confronts Grima about siding with Saruman. Still, however, there is not much detail that can be seen on film.

There is a study page for this gown on LOTR Costume here. The costume galleries on the Extended Edition DVD for 'The Two Towers' are excellent, and show many important details, including her boots. Maggie has them on her study page for this gown here.

I've not really finished it 100% yet. I want to re-do the yoke, attach the trim to the yoke, and also re-do the neckline trim. I also want to put lacing on the undersleeves. Below is what it looks like at the moment.

I wore this gown with a wig and a crown to a fairies and elves themed event, and the photo that I took shows some of the detail pretty well. It's amazing how much a wig can change how a costume looks.

I don't have very much information yet on how I made this, but as I fix up a few parts of this gown, I hope to add some more.

I used hunter green cotton velvet from Denver Fabrics. I was planning to make the leafy fabric of the underdress and sleeve lining myself. I bought some olive green raw silk from Thai Silks, and I painted the design on using fabric paint, and a leaf stencil that I made myself. It turned out rather bright, so at the last minute, I went with a back up plan, and used a fabric I had seen in a local store. It worked very well, but it was very thick. This gown weighed a lot once it was all pieced together.

I started off using Simplicity 9103 as a base, and altered it from there. I added a train, changed the sleeves, and the neckline. I drafted my own pattern for the yoke.

I made a full underskirt with a train. I also lined the front side panels with the contrasting fabric. It was very heavy, but I'm happy with the look that it gives.

I made undersleeves to go with this, but since my fabric is so thick, it's a little bulky. I ran out of time, and didn't get a chance to do sleeve lacing, but I hope to do it soon.

I bought some sadi thread and planned to make my own neckline trim. Alas, I was headed for a deadline, and did not have the time to do this properly, so I went with my back up plan instead. I got some black netting, and did some machine embroidery on it with gold thread. It turned out surprisingly well, and looks good from a distance. When I get back to work on this gown, I hope to re-do the trim, but this time, using the sadi thread.

This is something that I plan to go back and fix up. I want to replace the yoke, and also add some trim to it. I got some amazing trim from MJTrim that Maggie found.

The panel is held up using plaited wool in a colour that matches the cotton velvet.

The belt is made from metal conchos from a local leather store. They were silver, but I spraypainted them gold. Unfortunately, after some wear, and also probably from being in my luggage, the gold paint is beginning to wear off in places. I attached them to each other with a length of wool that I plaited together. It is loose, and it ties up at the back.

I put the necklace together myself. I bought a chain that I thought had the right style from a local cheap jewellery store, and cut it with pliers into the right length. The centrepiece is from a local fabric/craft store. It was a yellow-ish gold, so I sprayed it with my gold spraypaint to make it match the chain better. I bought a 5mm lapis lazuli cabochon and a brass cab setting. I placed the stone in the setting, and glued it to the centrepiece with glue. I attached the centrepiece to the chain with 5mm gold jump rings. On the real necklace, approximately 2cm away from the centrepiece are two lapis cabochons. I was not able to re-create this easily, so I used 4mm round lapis beads with wire through them, and attached them to the chain. I bought the earrings from the same local cheap jewellery store that I got the chain from. They came with a purple stone, but I prised it out, and they looked fine from a distance.

The shoes are chinese flats in hunter green. They were very comfortable to wear, and the colour matches my cotton velvet perfectly.

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