A Froudian Ball Gown

Here is the story of how I was able to be a Froud faerie straight out of a painting for one night.

The secret? Having a faerie godmother in the guise of the beautiful and talented D.M. Anderson. As soon as she and Bryonie and I decided we would be attending the Froudian Weekend in Glastonbury hosted by Karen Kay, the big question was…what would we wear to the ball? It was an exceedingly enticing question for any fan of Froud art. What inspiration to take? From what paintings by Brian or dolls by Wendy or Toby? The answer varied as widely as the attendees, and yet I am also here to tell you that everyone brought their absolute a-game.

First, I looked through my files and images on my phone, computer, and Pinterest. (I have boards for Froud art and Froud-style fashion) And had a real good think. Finally I came up with a sketch inspired by two gowns I was really drawn to in his work.

The below artwork has long been a favorite of mine, and I loved the idea of wearing gold, since I think it works well with my coloring. So off we were!

Desi suggested a strategy for her making of the costume. I bought a $50 corset on the website CorsetStory, and ordered three maxi skirts from Amazon in off-white. She then proceeded to work her magic, painting the corset, cutting the bottom edge to resemble leaves, and creating a green man sculpt for the bodice, along with several sculpted leaves that blended with fabric leaves across the front.

The three skirts were a bit more of a challenge to her than expected, since they had more synthetic content than anticipated and required more than one dye session. But eventually they transformed to a lovely golden color, and she worked her magic here too to transform them into a blouse and two skirts.

The gown arrived, and I couldn’t wait to try it on immediately. But Tom and I are both inexperienced at tying off a corset, and the headpiece wasn’t finished yet. Still, we got it on well enough to take a photo or two that had me buzzing with excitement.

The next step was to make the headpiece. And I lucked out here too. About a year and a half ago I found a little wreath tucked away into the corner of the craft store on sale for $1 that was covered in light brown autumn leaves. I bought it, noting how unusual it was to find a wreath with brown leaves instead of autumn colored ones. And they were the perfect tone to match the gown. I hand-painted gold veins on each leaf, and used gold spray paint to add a bit of sparkle as well.

And then, before I knew it, it was the night of the ball. Desi helped me get into the corset for realsies, and I immediately felt like I had utterly transformed. I’ve never felt this beautiful except for my wedding day.