Hallo! I have recently decided to cosplay the character Gris from the video game of the same title. Her design is fairly simple: a formless double-layered dress with slits for sleeves, as far as I can tell. But I'm wondering if you have advice on how to achieve the weightless, airy look her dress has. I'm thinking a pettiskirt or maybe some kind of braid would work, but I don't know if there is a better option. Thank you!
It took me a while to find a picture of what you were describing (all I could were headshots at first), but is this the design you’re going for?
The good news is, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to make this design! This loose, cone-shaped silhouette is very similar to a style known as the “trapeze dress” that was popular in the 1960s:
In fact, the action of the sleeve openings in the animation closely resemble the wide sleeves in the floral design, above left. Rather than cutting slits for your sleeves, you could make this type of full, flowing sleeve and it would blend right in to the shape of the dress, if you wanted more arm mobility.
In the trapeze dress style, there was no real structure to the garment; the airy, flowing look was due to the fullness of cut and the angle at which it draped over the body (the cut of the dress is almost circular, with wedge-shaped panels centered on the grainline). Using a lightweight fabric allows it to swish and move more freely.
If you want the garment to maintain a wider silhouette, I’d suggest running a line of horsehair braid along the hem to give it more body. Adding layers of tulle or fabric in the same full cut beneath it may also help fluff it out. I wouldn’t add too much internal structure if you want it to billow around you when you move, though!
You can usually find 1960s dress patterns for sale on Etsy or eBay, and some vintage fashion sites also archive them, so you might be able to look up an original trapeze dress pattern if you want more ideas for matching that style. Good luck!
