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Description
Claire Danes cosplay from Baz Luhrmann's 1996 Romeo and Juliet
Photo by Great Beyond Photography

Dress: 2 pieces (attached at waste). Top is spiral steel boning and corset back with flat steel boning at grommets to hold wings up. Skirt and fashion layer are Chiffon (droool). I pleated the top and luckily a hot iron (with fabric between to keep from burning) and sewing along the edge was enough to hold the pleat and I didn't have to get it machine done. The top a has two inner layers - the middle is a canvas (coutil substitute) and light cotton lining with the boning between. The challenge was not having princess seams as this would disrupt the outer pleating design. I was able to fashion a pattern with only one front panel and two at the back (3 pieces total), and used a lot of boning to get a flat silhouette. I also wore a kimono obi-ita underneath that I had, to prevent the curvature at the waist and keep the pleating flat. This pattern mostly worked, but I had to stand fairly straight to get the nicest look at the shoulders and bust line so it wasn't perfect.

Skirt: A long chiffon rectangle. (I think 2.5m, gathered and attached to top). Since chiffon is transparent, there is also a poly/cotton blend white circle skirt underneath that is a separate piece. The fabric was nice. Smooth with only a slight stretch and no fraying (but also affordable!)

Sash: Cut from the bottom of the chiffon skirt bolt. Folded in half and sewn then turned inside out.

Wings are made from turkey feather pointers (ends), turkey rounds (middle), and T-Base Wholesale Body Plumage Feathers from Moonlight Feather company. (ask for lefts and rights). Easier to make than I thought they would be. The base is wire chicken caging (I got a roll from hardware store) which was hot glued between two layers of batting. I also sandwiched a thick wire coat hanger that ran along the top of the cage, looped in a u shape down the middle, then back up to the top of the other side. The bottom of the u I did not glue down and left as a floating U apart from the middle of the cage because it slips into the dress to hold the feathers up. This is more transparent and malleable than a craft foam or cardboard base. I curved the caging to match the natural curve of the feathers and glued the feathers to the bating, starting with the turkey pointers on the end. 1 layer of turkey pointers hang off the edge of the caging. Then the batted caging is covered with the rounds on both sides. (some pics on my IG)

Description
Claire Danes cosplay from Baz Luhrmann's 1996 Romeo and Juliet
Photo by Great Beyond Photography

Dress: 2 pieces (attached at waste). Top is spiral steel boning and corset back with flat steel boning at grommets to hold wings up. Skirt and fashion layer are Chiffon (droool). I pleated the top and luckily a hot iron (with fabric between to keep from burning) and sewing along the edge was enough to hold the pleat and I didn't have to get it machine done. The top a has two inner layers - the middle is a canvas (coutil substitute) and light cotton lining with the boning between. The challenge was not having princess seams as this would disrupt the outer pleating design. I was able to fashion a pattern with only one front panel and two at the back (3 pieces total), and used a lot of boning to get a flat silhouette. I also wore a kimono obi-ita underneath that I had, to prevent the curvature at the waist and keep the pleating flat. This pattern mostly worked, but I had to stand fairly straight to get the nicest look at the shoulders and bust line so it wasn't perfect.

Skirt: A long chiffon rectangle. (I think 2.5m, gathered and attached to top). Since chiffon is transparent, there is also a poly/cotton blend white circle skirt underneath that is a separate piece. The fabric was nice. Smooth with only a slight stretch and no fraying (but also affordable!)

Sash: Cut from the bottom of the chiffon skirt bolt. Folded in half and sewn then turned inside out.

Wings are made from turkey feather pointers (ends), turkey rounds (middle), and T-Base Wholesale Body Plumage Feathers from Moonlight Feather company. (ask for lefts and rights). Easier to make than I thought they would be. The base is wire chicken caging (I got a roll from hardware store) which was hot glued between two layers of batting. I also sandwiched a thick wire coat hanger that ran along the top of the cage, looped in a u shape down the middle, then back up to the top of the other side. The bottom of the u I did not glue down and left as a floating U apart from the middle of the cage because it slips into the dress to hold the feathers up. This is more transparent and malleable than a craft foam or cardboard base. I curved the caging to match the natural curve of the feathers and glued the feathers to the bating, starting with the turkey pointers on the end. 1 layer of turkey pointers hang off the edge of the caging. Then the batted caging is covered with the rounds on both sides. (some pics on my IG)