Halloween is just around the corner, and a few weeks ago I ran a poll on my socials asking you to choose between 4 different historical Halloween costume ideas. The options were:
- A 1920s pumpkin dress (from a fashion plate)
- An 1880s Batgirl costume (same)
- A black antique 1890s gown (that screams Wednesday Addams vibes – I'll definitely make this one in the future!)
- An 1880s red, black and cream plate dress with a bloody lady aesthetic
The pumpkin design, along with other 1920's Halloween costumes.
1880s bat lady fashion plate.
Black attire from Augusta auctions Antique reseller.
Black red and white walking dress from a 1880s fashion plate. It screams "bloody lady" for me!
And the winner? The 1880s "Batlady" costume! ~~
I've been spending these past weeks sewing the costume with all its themed accessories and soon I will make a photoshoot wearing it... What makes this design so charming is that it comes complete with bat-themed details: a bat mask (probably made of papier-mâché back then, though it could have been a taxidermied bat skull cut in half – taxidermy was very popular at the time, but I find that quite challenging!), a bat brooch, gloves, a bat wing mantle and possibly shoe decorations too.
I've gathered all my materials: a gorgeous black silk fabric with black-on-black floral pattern for the base, cream silk organza for the skirt flounces that I'm dyeing (with quite some effort!) in black and brown, contrasting cotton sateen lining, and for the mask I went with Worbla and papier-mâché!
My Design Modifications
I've made some changes to the original design, taking inspiration from period ballgown bodices. In the original plate the top part seems almost a corset or swiss waist, but I don't like the design of it much and I think a ballgown bodice could be more fitting.
An antique photo from a lady wearing the original design.
An antique ball gown Worth House 1887-1888 MCNY Collections. I Love the heart shaped breast line.
Also I took away the fichu that covers the neck and breast area, to show better the bodice front.
Since there weren't any photos of the bat-wing cape from the back, I designed my own version with my personal style. You can see my fashion sketch here and my mockup fitting.
My (very very) raw sketch.
My first mock up of the bodice, I already loved it (screenshot from my tiktok mock up video):
I adjusted the front underbust crease and changed the neckline into a heart shape.
Follow along in the next posts for the WIP updates and final result! Bye -