2024 Found me attending a magical event called Fantasy Forest Festival in July.

After finishing up my current customer orders, one of which being a custom made wedding dress, I found that I only had a week to design and create a magical gown worthy of such a fantastical event. I was inspired by some artwork I found on Pinterest where a fairy was depicted with a giant water lily on her head in a style of a ladies, large Edwardian hat. I decided to recreate it and from there used it to inspire the design for the rest of the costume.

I started with the shift, corset and petticoat, to give the appropriate silhouette, then designed the jacket to mimic the swooping shapes of leaves. Whilst the skirt and its bustle were made from three separate layers of organza, each one a different shade of blue, with the intention to look like water from a stream and it’s bubbling brook.

Next came the wings, hand made from wire and covered in a shimmering two-tone organza, that shifted between blue and pink depending on the light. Finally with a generous amount of fake Butterflies, lady birds and bumble bees the look was complete.