Classic Alice in Wonderland Costume

This cute little number was made for an 8 year old girl who desperately wanted to be Alice in Wonderland for book week. Not happy with the readily available Alice in Wonderland costumes in the shop my young client wanted a dress that was exactly like the one in the Disney classic, Alice in Wonderland released in 1951. At the same time her mum wanted something that she could wear again as a special occasions dress.

That seems an easy enough brief but I knew the client was looking for something a little more special than you're average costume. After a little research we discovered an archive of the original stills photographs Disney studios used to create their classic cartoon feature films. There were a number of remarkably detailed photographs of a young actress dressed in full costume as Alice. From these stills and some research on the design and construction methods used in making children's clothing during the late 1940s/early 1950s we were able to create this costume.

The entire costume is made from woven cotton (as was readily available to Disney studios costume department). The petticoat (not visible) and the apron pinafore were made from white cotton, the main dress is made from periwinkle blue cotton and the bodice lined with light white cotton. We deviated slightly from the historically accurate on the details of the back closure of the dress. We wanted to add a unique element of interest to the dress for when it is worn for special occasions rather than keeping to the period metal zipper and/or button closure.

The client loved her costume and she looked incredibly sweet dressed up with a headband, knee high socks and black mary janes to finish off the outfit. Her favourite part? The very full skirt and petticoat which was quite "swishy" as she moved around.

If you have particular costume ideal talk to us about having your costume custom designed and made. On request we can also provide research information on your costume for your interest.