The Snow Queen Costume

This is my daughter, Riley. Riley is obsessed with Frozen and totally idolizes Elsa. Last year, she was Tinkerbell and I created an elaborate, custom-fitting cosplay-esque costume for her, complete with hand-shaped metal wings that slipped into the back of the dress...I created the whole look from scratch. So, in May of this year, we sat down and started trying to plan for this years Halloween. Without a doubt in her mind, she wanted to be Elsa. So, the planning began. I started researching, brainstorming, and gathering supplies right away. I had to somehow top last years costume and truly challenge myself to bring this vision to life.

There were many pattern tests and many failed attempts. The first time I tested out the bodice pattern I had drafted, the sweetheart neckline kept falling down and wouldn’t hold its shape. Since there would be no straps attached to the bodice to keep it upright I had to re-think my bodice design completely. I decided that the best solution would be to create a corset style bodice. I had never made a corset before and just the thought of it seemed daunting enough.

My first attempt at making the corset was a giant failure because I forgot to add in my seam allowances to the individual corset pieces. Oops. The next attempt I remembered to add in my seam allowances and it turned out much better. I adjusted the fit a little bit and drafted the final pattern. Once my my corset was made, I sandwiched a few layers of fabric and then began gluing on all of my sequins and rhinestone embellishments. This was a long process and took me a few days to finish. When all of the embellishments were glued on, I began working on the skirt.

The skirt seemed simple and easy enough, however I still completely botched it the first time around. I initially drafted a mermaid-style silhouette, but it just didn’t look right once I added the side split. So I drafted a regular high-waisted a-line skirt with a train and it turned out great.

Next, I began working on the sleeved undershirt that Elsa wears. This was so much harder than I initially thought it would be. I used an ultra thin 4-way stretch material and it was so incredibly problematic to sew. My machine just hated this fabric. Eventually, I got it sewed up as best as I could, though it still looked pretty awful. I had to adjust the sleeve length a bit because the sleeves were a bit too long and in doing so I also modified my neckline a bit to give it a more off-the-shoulder style like Elsa’s. I added elastic in the neckline to prevent sagging and to keep it where I wanted it to lie. After I finished sewing the undershirt I added glitter on the cuff-ends of the sleeves and around the neckline(mostly to try to hide my horrible seams). I had initially planned to add more of the glittery sleeve details that Elsa has but I was running out of time and had to start on the cape.

The cape was the easiest part of the whole costume. I sandwiched a few sheer fabrics together to give it an icy aesthetic. There were 3 pieces for the cape: the center back piece and two side pieces. I drafted them similarly to how I would a long train. I added a pretty silver trim along the bottom just to give it an extra flare and I added Velcro tabs to the inside of the corset and to the top of the cape so that it could fold into and attach to the corset and we could easily remove it if needed.

The shoes are just Disney Store Elsa shoes. I had originally wanted to make my own Elsa shoes, but I severely underestimated the complexity of this costume. It was a time-consuming undertaking, but ultimately I am pleased with how it all came together. The photos of my daughter wearing the costume(without the wig) on was the first time we actually tried on the entire costume. I purchased a small blonde lace front wig and trimmed and styled it into Elsa’s wig. I wish I had dedicated a little more time to modifying and styling the wig, because it just didn’t turn out how I had envisioned it at all, but oh well.

So, that’s it! This is my take on Elsa. I hope you like it! :)