Princess Leia wears this simple, yet elegant gown at the medal ceremony at the end of what is now known as Episode IV: A New Hope. This is my second favorite gown of hers...the first being her Bespin "gown" (write-up to come soon). I made this at this time for a specific event at the up-coming Celebration IV in LA. From the moment I put this dress on, I truly did feel like royalty...name Princess Leia Organa.
PATTERN
Simplicity 4630(D)
FABRIC
White Casa Satin (JoAnn Fabrics)
White Silk Double Georgette (Silk Connection; #2018452)
NECKLACE
Ordered this from Sister Sola on e-bay. This saved me a tremendous amount of time!!
BELT
Gray vinyl for the main part of belt (joann.com)
Aluminum for metal pieces/hardware (Home Depot)
Approximately 1" silver button blanks (JoAnn Fabrics)
Heavy duty snaps (JoAnn Fabrics)
Quick Grip All-Purpose Permanent Adhesive
Folk Art Silver Metallic Acrylic Paint
For the gown, I followed the pattern, with no alterations. The back of the real gown comes up to the shoulder line...mine is slightly lower. I drafted the sleeve/"wing" pattern myself by studying photos of the real costume. As I said, I ordered the necklace on e-bay from a respected and talented fellow costumer.
For the belt, I used a tutorial specific for this belt found on the *Obi-Wan's Jedi Academy* web site. I used their dimensions for the main belt part and for the metal/aluminum accents. The pieces were attached using the Quick Grip adhesive...and they really do stick well. I had problems attaching the snaps, so I ended up using the adhesive for these, too, and have not had a problem losing these items. The vinyl was painted with the acrylic paint prior to adding the accents.
Here are some pics of my finished belt, the necklace, and the finished gown (minus the belt).
