Pre-Raphaelite Zelda

I first wanted to do a Zelda cosplay because my hubs picked up Zelda 1 with a fun community and I just so happened to have this baller diadem. I wondered how I could combine them. A Pre-Raphaelite version of Zelda was perfect – the kirtle-like dress, the bolero’s sleeves, the gold trim work, the dropped belt with the tabard – all inspired by the various paintings of John Williams Waterhouse. Even the wig echoes one of his paintings.

The white dress is made exclusively of cotton voile, a very lightweight and sheer cotton that has a gorgeous drape. There are three layers to the dress, and the three hems are roughly 10, 12, and 15 yards each; all with their own sets of trim to weight them and allow for dimension of the skirting.

The bolero was self-drafted and I used poly-shantung to create the look, no silk here; this was a budget cosplay. All of the designs are hand-cut fabric fused with Heat’n’Bond to the base fabric. That belt and loin cloth took FOREVER! And I made a bag! Link’s shield to be exact – it’s fully lined and the design on it is done the same as the other motifs. Finally the wig – I wish I had a back view, it’s a double French braid done in a herringbone style. It’s super pretty and delicate with lace braiding too.