"Rarity Model/Costumer: Me!
Photographer: Angelwing ([link])
The Spirit of Generosity, herself: Rarity! One of the "mane six" ponies on My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic, Rarity instantly became my favorite because of her fabulous sense of fashion, but also her kind heart. I became instantly addicted to the show and decided that Rarity needed to be cosplayed in a stunning Gone With the Wind ballgown, and my all time favorite gown was the "barbecue dress" that Scarlett O'Hara wore.
Rarity Costume: The wig was an online purchase, topped with a horn purchased from Yaya Han's online store. ([link]). The necklace was a purchase from Charming Charlies. I popped out the pearl centerpiece and affixed a crystal heart to it. The heart was originally a clear one, but a few coats of red nail polish (and a clear top coat) gave it the Fire Ruby look I was going for. For the dress, I used three layers of fabric: pure white bridal fabric, topped with a printed bridal fabric, topped with a chiffon layer. (In retrospect, the bottom white layer probably wasn't needed, but it have the printed layer a base to pop off of and look brighter.) The dress pattern was from Pegee of Williamsburg ([link]) and is a VERY INTENSIVE costume! For the back bow, I referenced The Cosplay Scion's bow tutorial ([link]) and made the bow out of a purple costume satin (forgive me!) that matched the color of the ribbon running through the eyelets in the bust flounce.
At first glance, the costume may appear simple. DON'T FALL FOR IT!! The neckline flounce is not one piece of fabric gathered together and stitched on. Instead it's 21 circles, cut down the middle and painstakingly attached together. The eyelet strip must be hand done to get the proper look. (The flounce alone took over 31 hours of sewing-most of it hand sewing…you have been warned.) I did some modifications to the pattern while I was sewing. The neckline on the pattern is very boxy, so I widened it a bit to get a "drop off the shoulders" look. I also added in a lining and an invisible zipper on the side seam instead of the eye and hook closure at the front of the corset. Snaps were sewn inside the corset to connect to the skirt, the belt snaps shut and the bow snaps on the back! Perfect for the cosplayer who has to dress herself by herself!"