Handmade Southern Belle Dresses

Oct 8th, 2009 by Kenny

The Southern Belle dresses represent the costume ideas borrowed from the Civil War period, in the history of America. Carrying a sense of adventure and a daring spirit, the dresses were simply breathtaking. Even when they are worn today, a woman comes out stunning. If you have watched the classic movie, ‘Gone with the Wind’, you have an idea of what the dresses look like. In the movie, Scarlet thought how best to impress Rhett and ended up making a Southern Belle gown from the green draperies used at the Tara plantation. That is basically the design for these dresses, even today.

A Southern Belle dress is an intricate design of lace inserts and pleating. This makes it easy to duplicate the design at home, using crude materials that are not too expensive or exotic. The gowns are velvet and satin and are worn with a layered skirt. For a handmade design, you can create a perfect Southern Belle gown from a watered silk, given heavy lace embellishments all over and then some black-bow accents. Ensure that the dress’s bodice closes at the back and is not only boned but also lined. Hand sews a wide lace sash right across the entire bodice. You can then juxtapose the gown with Austrian crystals.

Use a contrasting shade such as ivory, under the sleeves. When it comes to the skirt, give the girth an extra 250 inches, to custom the dress to the historical designs. Keep the handwork simple but detailed. The dresses ought to be worn with a velvet hat and a feather, a belt cord in two shades and a matching handbag, velvet and nothing less. You can easily get detailed measurements and charts of handmade Southern Belle dresses online. These could guide you in coming up with a truly fascinating artwork.