Construction Details:

So... I'd originally planned on making Rapunzel for Halloween, but when push came to shove, I really didn't want to deal with drafting and fitting her tremendously complicated bodice. Instead, I looked through my fabric stash and decided I could put together Belle pretty easily.
I bought fabric for the skirt and ribbon to make the gold roses, but everything else I had lying around. The bodice was made using a trusty Vogue strapless dress pattern, and I made up the rest. To give them a little more body, the shoulder part is stuffed with some leftover quilted fabric I had, and the sash on the dress has a few layers of tulle inside.
One skill I acquired while working on this costume was learning to make fabric roses. The ones in the wig were made using this technique I found online, and all the gold ones were made using this method of folding and wrapping ribbon. I also added leaves to the roses on the skirt using some leftover Azula pleather. I also dug into my sequin stash, though I think I might be able to get the coverage a little more dense on the skirt for next time. I loved the sparkle, though!
I ended up adding a bit more bling to the bodice, using some leaves I cut off a trim I had, and some pearls, beads, and sequins I had lying around. I learned to make sequin roses, and I'm really pleased with how they look!

Personal Thoughts:

I wore this for Mickey's Halloween Party and had an absolute blast with my friend Solaria in her awesome Belle costume and a few weeks later with Ashe and Ludick as Jasmine and Aladdin. We got to be in the parade and it was awesome.
Belle is a character I like (bookish princess!) but I didn't think I would ever make her dress, because yellow is so not my color. I'm kind of happy to have taken the opportunity, though!

Styling Notes

I used my Durand wig as a base, and it really wasn't long enough to pull up so much. I rolled and pinned the sides back to hide the bangs, and tried to hide most of the hair along the center back of the wig. The length comes from a ponytail extension pinned to the top of the wig and stuffed (with some organza ribbon roses I didn't use) to give it some more volume. A bunch of roses on pins were made and added to give the bun shape and secure the hairpiece.
Because my hair is close enough in color to the wig, I was able to comb the temples back into the wig itself, which helps the hairline look a little more natural.

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