Custom Elizabethan Renaissance Gown Dress Costume MORE!

Custom-made Anne of Austria Elizabethan Gown Package
Made by the Very Merry Seamstress

After the Halloween season ends every year, we find ourselves with a bit of free time on our hands. During that time we focus on new designs for our website, and this year we're focusing on a new line of upper-class Elizabethan gowns. We held a poll a few months ago to see which gown our customers wanted us to make first, and this is the gown that most of our customers selected. We have never seen this gown offered by anyone else, so I believe this gown will be the first of its kind since Anne of Austria wore hers.  We are also working on several other Elizabethan gowns at this time, so if you would like to be notified of new design releases and auctions, please contact us.

If you would like to see samples of past work, please contact me and I will be happy to send pictures of gowns I have recreated from historical paintings and portraits. The Very Merry Seamstress has been in business since 1998 and has made thousands of high-quality historical reproductions for clients all around the world. Please review our eBay feedback to see comments left by past customers. For more information about us, please visit our eBay About Me page.

Please note:  I believe that the fabric is appliqued fleur de lis, which I *CAN* do, however, this would require 100s of fleurs to be embroidered and appliqued to the fabric, which would result in an even more expensive price.  We're also using faux pearls since they are also more affordable.  We *CAN* use real pearls if the buyer wishes, but we will have to set up another auction to cover the price of the pearls. 

Instead of using applique, we've found a lovely fleur de lis embroidered silk fabric from one of our suppliers that is available in several shades of red, blue, bronze, chocolate, white and ivory and a variety of other colors. If you would like to see the fabrics before you bid, please contact us through eBay and we will be happy to send you more information. The fabric we have selected is over $50 per yard with shipping, bringing the embroidered silk costs for the gown to nearly $500 - not including other fabric, boning, beading or notions costs. We will require several weeks of construction to make this gown for the high bidder - this will be a very labor-intensive package to make.

The high bidder may select from the embroidered silk fabric colors and we will make the gown from their color of choice. We will make the gown to the client's measurements, and will be happy to offer a mock-up service if the client's schedule allows enough time to ship a mock-up back and forth with us.

Please note that we work with men and women to create these lovely garments, and we can custom fit this package to any gender.

This Auction Includes:

A drum farthingale - We will make a drum farthingale for you and will use it to construct your skirt, which will be cartridge pleated to a fitted waistband. A drum farthingale is an underskirt device worn to make your skirts flare out at the waist/hips, causing the skirts to appear drum-like as they extend over the farthingale and cascade the fabrics straight down to the floor. We will also include a bumroll to wear under the farthingale to help hold everything in place.

A cartridge-pleated skirt made of fleur de lis silk - We will custom-craft your skirt to your measurements and will hand pleat the skirt to the waistband. During the construction process, we will complete several fittings to ensure a peroper drape of fabric over the drum farthingale. We will leave the skirt unhemmed, since the only way to ensure a perfect hem is to have it done while you are wearing the underskirt device and the skirt. Please make arrangements with a local seamstress to have your skirt hemmed.

A fitted bodice made from the elegant embroidered fleur de lis silk. The bodice will open at the front and we will be happy to finish the bodice with your choice of closures. You may select from two-piece grommets (not recommended/not historically-accurate), stitched lacing holes, concealed lacing rings or hooks and eyes. Your bodice will be boned, though we recommend wearing a period-correct, boned corset under the bodice to achieve the correct silhouette for the era. We recommend using our mock-up service to send a bodice mock-up back and forth through the mail to ensure a perfect fit. Please note that this service takes a minimum of two additional months of turnaround time, and requires the high bidder to adhere to a schedule when returning the mock-up. We will offer the mock-up service free to the high bidder, though the high bidder will need to cover return shipping costs to ship the mock-up back to us.

The pearl necklace and earrings are not included with this auction.

Attached sleeves - made from the same fleur de lis silk as the bodice and skirt. The sleeves will have faux puff rows of silk, gathered with extra-large faux pearls. The sleeves will have lovely lace cuffs.

The pearl bracelets are not included with this auction.

Detachable stomacher - The bodice features an ermine fur stomacher panel. We will be happy to make the stomacher from the same faux ermine, or you may have the option of having us use a flat silk fabric for you instead. We wanted to offer the silk option out of concern that the faux fur stomacher will soil, and over time will become matted and look out of place with the rest of the gown. We will duplicate the beading pattern from the portrait using large faux pearls and ouches, and will use appropriate stiffeners to achieve the correct shape for the petaled stomacher. We will work with you to determine the best way to affix the stomacher to the bodice for your needs.

Faux ermine wrap - We have in stock a lovely faux ermine fabric that we will include as a shoulder wrap with this gown.

Wired rebato - We will include a wired rebato fitted to your gown, covered with elegant lace.

Standing ruff - We will include a starched, standing ruff that will be custom-fitted to your gown. Lace designs will vary and it is unlikely that we will be able to exactly match the original lace, but we will select an appropriate Venise lace that will duplicate a look as close as possible to the original. Standing ruff will be attached with either pins, snaps or hook and eyes (your choice).

If you have any questions about this auction, please email us. We're happy to answer any questions you may have. Shipping to our customers in the United States will be free. Shipping to out-of-US customers will be determined once the gown is finished and can be weighed. We will charge only actual shipping costs.

Turnaround time for this package will vary, depending on services the client desires. Once the gown has been finished, we will ship it on the following Saturday.   As of right now our schedule is full until mid-January and the construction of this gown will take a minimum of three weeks. If you are on a tight schedule, please contact us to make sure we can meet your required delivery deadline. Once the auction ends, we will work with the high bidder to determine an exact date by which we will guarantee the gown to ship.