Having spent a lot of time around my grandparents as a kid, I couldn't help but pick up a love of mysteries, swing music, and old movies. One of my favorite shows to watch while visiting my grandparents was "The Big Valley" -- largely because Barbara Stanwyck reminded me of my grandmother, right down to the silver hair and feisty attitude. So, when I was visiting one weekend, imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon Stanwyck in a 1943 noir mystery called Lady of Burlesque.
Based on The G-String Murders ghost written for Gypsy Rose Lee, it follows a new girl on the New York circuit, Deborah Hoople, AKA Dixie Daisy. Things aren't all flowers and sunshine just off the Great White Way, and soon some of her fellow burlesque performers end up dead. Together with vaudeville comedian "Biff" Brannigan (Michael O'Shea), she gets to the bottom of the murders to save the day.
Dixie's costumes for the movie were designed by the incomparable Edith Head -- her first teaming with Stanwyck. It's from this point on that Stanwyck insisted that Edith Head provide her costumes. If you get a chance to see the movie, you'll see why.
The dress I chose is seen about thirty minutes in to the movie as Dixie gets in a row with a prima donna burlesque performer, and then has to improvise on stage to cover for some clatter backstage:
The top appears to be made with a custom scalloped edge lace, which has the design repeated on the pantyhose. Close inspection of the bottom makes me think it was velvet, possibly with weighted hems. You can also see a little lace from her tap pants or slip peeking out from the slit.
I searched and found a gorgeous swirled lace with gorgeous drape from fabric.com. It was soft and surprisingly easy to work with! For the top, I used a dolman-sleeved bolero jacket pattern, then added darts for a more fitted bust. Here, you can see the work in progress, using some cheap lace from JoAnn:
For the bottom, I cannibalized a 1990s column evening dress pattern, making some changes to the empire waist on the fly.
I then transferred the changes to the pattern:
...and finished the mock up (though I think this shot is only the front half of the skirt). Not too shabby for some cheap crepe and lace.
I dug for hours on eBay and Etsy, trying to find rhinestone pins to match those worn by Stanwyck in the publicity stills. High-res images show the quality of the rhinestone pieces, and there just wasn't much comparable out there for sale. I was finally able to locate a couple of brooches that fit the bill -- including an oversized blingy spider.
The shoes were a compromise -- something I could wear comfortably to the con, while still keeping to the "dancer" feel worn in the actual film (which are different from those in the publicity shot). I ended up with a pair of black satin pumps constructed like ballet slippers, with some wide ribbons tied around the ankles and calves.
The hat is probably one of my favorite parts -- a $10 Etsy find. The veil I made with some scrap lace after an Etsy transaction fell through.
Dixie made her debut at DragonCon 2010. No one knew who she was, but I was still proud of the results.
I took the whole kit with me for a photoshoot in January 2011:
I'd still like to do a version 2.0 -- get some better, scalloped lace for the top, and correct some of the fit issues. I'd also like to do her "butterfly" costume, worn when we first meet Dixie in the film. That, however, will take a great deal of beading and handwork that I'm not yet prepared to do!
Based on The G-String Murders ghost written for Gypsy Rose Lee, it follows a new girl on the New York circuit, Deborah Hoople, AKA Dixie Daisy. Things aren't all flowers and sunshine just off the Great White Way, and soon some of her fellow burlesque performers end up dead. Together with vaudeville comedian "Biff" Brannigan (Michael O'Shea), she gets to the bottom of the murders to save the day.
Dixie's costumes for the movie were designed by the incomparable Edith Head -- her first teaming with Stanwyck. It's from this point on that Stanwyck insisted that Edith Head provide her costumes. If you get a chance to see the movie, you'll see why.
The dress I chose is seen about thirty minutes in to the movie as Dixie gets in a row with a prima donna burlesque performer, and then has to improvise on stage to cover for some clatter backstage:
The top appears to be made with a custom scalloped edge lace, which has the design repeated on the pantyhose. Close inspection of the bottom makes me think it was velvet, possibly with weighted hems. You can also see a little lace from her tap pants or slip peeking out from the slit.
I searched and found a gorgeous swirled lace with gorgeous drape from fabric.com. It was soft and surprisingly easy to work with! For the top, I used a dolman-sleeved bolero jacket pattern, then added darts for a more fitted bust. Here, you can see the work in progress, using some cheap lace from JoAnn:
For the bottom, I cannibalized a 1990s column evening dress pattern, making some changes to the empire waist on the fly.
I then transferred the changes to the pattern:
...and finished the mock up (though I think this shot is only the front half of the skirt). Not too shabby for some cheap crepe and lace.
I dug for hours on eBay and Etsy, trying to find rhinestone pins to match those worn by Stanwyck in the publicity stills. High-res images show the quality of the rhinestone pieces, and there just wasn't much comparable out there for sale. I was finally able to locate a couple of brooches that fit the bill -- including an oversized blingy spider.
The shoes were a compromise -- something I could wear comfortably to the con, while still keeping to the "dancer" feel worn in the actual film (which are different from those in the publicity shot). I ended up with a pair of black satin pumps constructed like ballet slippers, with some wide ribbons tied around the ankles and calves.
The hat is probably one of my favorite parts -- a $10 Etsy find. The veil I made with some scrap lace after an Etsy transaction fell through.
Dixie made her debut at DragonCon 2010. No one knew who she was, but I was still proud of the results.
I took the whole kit with me for a photoshoot in January 2011:
I'd still like to do a version 2.0 -- get some better, scalloped lace for the top, and correct some of the fit issues. I'd also like to do her "butterfly" costume, worn when we first meet Dixie in the film. That, however, will take a great deal of beading and handwork that I'm not yet prepared to do!
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