Major Project in Costume Design - Lady Fire’s ball gown

I’m Sophie and I’m a costume design student at IADT Dun Laoghaire in my final year. I discovered my passion for costume at a young age, when I was assisting backstage at performances of my ballet school. I quickly realised that my talents were better used behind the stage than on stage. After completing an apprenticeship in menswear tailoring at a a small theatre in Austria, I worked as a costume assistant in Germany and Austria for the theatre Freiburg, the Stuttgart Ballet and the Salzburg Festival. Chasing the dream of becoming a costume designer for film and theatre, I decided to study costume design for film in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin. Due to my previous experience I was able to move straight from 2nd to 4th year and now I’m currently working on my Major Project and I need your help to make my vision come true.

I chose one of my favourite fantasy novels as the text for my major project to design costumes for. Kristin Cashore’s award winning fantasy novel “Fire” tells the captivating story of Lady Fire, the last human monster in the fictitious kingdom “The Dells”. Fire’s vivid red hair, her exceptional beauty and her powers make her a desired ally as well as a target when the Dells find themselves on the brink of war.

When Fire is called to King City to put her powers into service of the young King Nash, she decides to leave her modest life in the countryside behind and begins a journey where she needs to fight her enemies as well as her own fears.

The costume I chose to make from scratch for this project, is a ball gown for the Winter Gala at the palace, a crucial moment in the story if the book and the first time Fire uses her supernatural beauty to her advantage, dressing up in a red tailored gown. I wanted the dress to be inspired by Fire’s flaming red hair, so I’m going to use a layer of shiny silk organza on top of a deep orange taffeta to create depth and different hues of orange. Gold work embroidery in red, orange and pink, inspired by Fire’s braided hair and favourite tree with autumn leaves will cover the bodice of the dress.

Underpinnings include a tailored corset and a petticoat made from 50 meters of fine tulle.

All of the funds will be used to pay for the fabric and additional materials, that we fully have

to cover ourselves.

Everyone who donates, no matter what amount, gets their initials embroidered on the tulle petticoat.