A Victorian ball gown bodice for Mirah Lapidoth

CosplayVictorianSewing ProjectJewish History
Written By V .
 
 
 
 

A Victorian ball gown bodice for Mirah Lapidoth

 
 
 

I finished the Victorian ball gown for Mirah Lapidoth from Daniel Deronda! It was so much fun to make a Victorian bodice for this evening gown, and then wear it to a Victorian Christmas party with my friends from the on-strike cast and crew of Dickens Fair.

A dress from Daniel Deronda
(the book, not the show)

Making a Victorian ball gown has been one of my favorite historical sewing projects, and it's even better that this historical costume is for Mirah Lapidoth, the Jewish opera singer and a main character of my favorite George Eliot novel. The BBC Daniel Deronda movie is a great inspiration for historical costume, but it's set in 1876, which is a totally different era of Victorian fashion history than 1864-65 when the book takes place. Wearing a Victorian dress is a great way to put myself in Mirah's shoes, and getting to experience 19th century historical dress for myself through historical costume making. Making and enjoying such a dreamy idyllic dress is a statement of Jewish joy, and that Jewish people whether real or fictional, deserve the happiness Mirah finds at the end of the book.

V is in her studio, wearing an 1860s Victorian ball gown in green silk with a wide bertha collar on the bodice and a full skirt.

Sewing the ballgown

This Victorian ball gown bodice has been a dream historical dress for me and I've learned so much about how to sew a ball gown. My past attempt at sewing an 1850s or 1860s ball gown bodice used the exact same pattern, but I had far less experience as a historical costumer. It was made in such a rush and turned out so badly that I nicknamed it “the Anxiety Ballgown”! With some more costuming experience and historical knowledge, this green silk ball gown came out much better. I hope this Victorian ball gown tutorial helps you out with sewing historical clothes!

V and several other ladies, all in mid Victorian dresses, sit on the floor with their skirts billowing around them.

But you wore it to a Victorian Christmas party?

The cast and crew of the San Francisco Great Dickens Christmas Fair are on strike this year for better anti-racism and DEI policies. I loved getting to dress up and perform at Dickens Fair, so my friends from the cast and crew got together, put on our Victorian costumes, and threw a party to celebrate our favorite things about Dickens Fair. It was the perfect excuse to wear this evening gown, and I had so much fun seeing all my castmates agian.

 

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