Will O' The Wisp Dapper Day Dress

You know, Some Say That Will O' The Wisps Can Lead You To Your Fate.🏹

Will O' The Wisp Disneybound from Brave.

Beginning Stages...

When starting out designing the Wisp dress, I did a lot of research of the colors used and how they moved and flowed.

Creating...

I wanted the back and shoulders to have more of a fantasy feel to them, that's where the royal blue flowers come in. I figured Chiffon would be a perfect fabric to get the ethereal weightless flow that they have.

Lighting...

I knew from the very beginning I wanted to light this dress up. That's one thing that always stuck out to me about the wisps is that they glowed and lead Merida to her destiny.

End Result...

The night pictures were taken in Avatar land in Animal Kingdom. Everything there lights up as well!

Disney's Brave: Merida Teal Dress

It Takes Courage To Be Who You Truly Are.

Research & Inspiration

Merida from Disney's Brave, is definitely one of my favorite princesses. Why you ask? Well she was created to break the mold- to give young girls a better, stronger role model, a more attainable role model, something of substance, not just a pretty face that waits around for romance. She stands up and takes a hold of her own fate.

The setting in Disney's Brave is 10th century Scotland, so when I was picking materials I knew I had to go with wool, due to reading other reviews about the creating of the costume. I also agree with Angela Costumery that, "One of my major Merida cosplay pet peeves is people using broadcloth or very lightweight, swishy fabrics for Merida’s dress. Or even worse, materials with a sheen and glitter! " Her dress in the movie doesn't have any of that.

Beginning Stages

I have been searching for the best type of material for a while now, I happened upon teal brushed wool. This coating fabric is ideal for fall and winter seasons. Both sides of the fabric are usable and feature an anti-pill ground, which I felt would be perfect for this cosplay! I also purchased some off-white chiffon to create the white fluffy sleeves.

The Dress

I was up until 4 AM working on Merida. I felt like she was coming along great! There are just a few more things I need to do to her to have her completed. I need to sew the white at the bottom of the sleeves, Sew the white at the top of the dress, and hem the bottom so it's not so long! I will admit the fabric makes the dress a little heavy.

The Sleeves

The sleeves took me a minute to figure out, but what I ended up doing was taking strips of the fabric, four at the top and three on the elbow, to make them have the "caged" look. Then I made bigger trips around the arms, and sewed them into the dress.

The Final Product

I added deerskin leather to the top part of the dress and hemmed the bottom and neckline! I am extremely happy with how it turned out!