Disney’s Frozen

Starting with the structure I drafted a corset pattern and worked on creating a “cupcake-shaped” petticoat. I used a hoop skirt pulled from stock, and added the gathered petticoat on top. Once the shape was established, we encountered a practical challenge: there was not a second hoop skirt in stock for the understudy. We decided to create custom yokes for each actress, and zip the hoop and petticoat into the yoke. This was also beneficial for washing as the part of the petticoat that touched the skin could be machine washed detached from the metal hoops.

Anna’s ballgown for Disney’s Frozen was a collaborative project with the costume crafts department. I started by draping the bodice and skirt, achieving the princess silhouette bodice and “cupcake-shaped” skirt. After a mockup fitting confirmed the pattern, I cut and sent down the center front panel to be embroidered, and began cutting the 14 skirt panels for the ribbon embroidery. The large box pleats were achieved through an angled wedge shape going from an inch and a half at the waist down to a ten inch width at the hem. We cut the panels using every inch of yardage available, and then serged the sides of each panel before sending them down to be decorated. 
With the details of ribbon embroidery going to the hem of each skirt panel we wanted the skirt hem to be adjustable from the waist. This approach provided built-in alterability for a highly detailed skirt, allowing the hem to be adjusted from the waistline without disturbing the ribbon embroidery.