Construction Details:

It actually took over a year to brainstorm and visualize how the costume would look, and how I would translate the elements of the Survey Corps uniform and Mikasa???s signature red scarf into a Marie Antoinette gown design. After completing a few costumes, I bought a Marie Antoinette pattern from Butterick, and used that to pattern out the bodice of the polonaise. For the polonaise, I used a gold silk fabric that my boyfriend found while we were fabric shopping. I was looking for a fabric that had a subtle floral pattern that wouldn???t compete with the Survey Corps patches, and it was perfect! I ended up using about 6 yards of it. For the white sections, I used white taffeta. The skirt, which is really just a floor-length circle skirt with an elastic waist and pockets, was made of the same taffeta. The brown bows on the front are a nod to the leather straps of the 3DMG harness. Mikasa???s scarf is referenced by the red trim along the neckline, and the red lace sleeves.
nBeneath the skirt, I am wearing pocket hoops that I made out of leftover muslin and 12-gauge wire that I cut, layered, and sewed into boning channels of the hoops (hoop boning is expensive, and wasn???t cost-efficient for this project).
nThe teardrop fascinator took inspiration from the promotional poster of Season 1 of Attack on Titan, with the Colossal Titan overlooking the flaming wall. I printed out chibis of Colossal Titan, Mikasa, and Eren from the internet and laminated them. The base of the fascinator is made out of two layers of cardboard duct-taped together, and Mikasa and Eren are attached by 12-gauge wire rooted into the base. The wall is made out of scrap Eva foam that I carved details into, then heat-sealed, coated with layers of diluted Elmer???s glue, and painted with acrylics. It is also rooted into the base with wires, and Colossal Titan is duct-taped to it. All the duct-tape on the back of the characters are covered by black posterboard. To hide the cardboard, the base is covered with layers of fabric, with the gold fabric as the outermost layer. Red trim identical to the one along my neckline is hand-stitched along the border. After I put on my wig, it???s just pinned to my head.

Personal Thoughts:

I???m so happy to be able to bring to life an original design that???s been floating around in my head for a long time. I feel elegant wearing Mikasa Antoinette, and was wondering if anyone would get the Mikasa and Marie Antoinette mashup concept. I???ve had people ask me if I was Wall Maria, or if the gown was in future chapters of the manga, or if it???s just a Survey Corps ball gown. I was pleasantly surprised that I ended up winning 3rd Place Overall at the SacAnime Winter 2017 Masquerade! It was such an honor, and I was very proud by all the feedback I received.

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