Outlander - Claire's Garden Encounter Dress

Main Fabric: 10 yards of Twill
Orgin: Outlander - Clarie Fraser - Garden Encounter
Shooting Location: UW Cherry Blossom @ the Quad
Convention: Emerald City Comic Con 2018, Norwest Con 2018
Components: Hat, Bodice, Full skirt, Pannier, Over Skirt, Petticoats

Outlander – I don’t think I have to say more… the show has a beautiful aesthetic with gorgeous research in fashion of the time. The bold fabrics and voluminous designs are beautiful but with a modern sensibility. I was captivated for season 2 when the Frasers were swirled into the dramas of Versailles. After entrenched in its drama, I picked the Garden Encounter dress. The original fabric was more a $100 USD a yard, and no longer in production. To mimic the Chintz fabric I brought 10 yards of a twill fabric and planned to use 3D appliques ad machine embroidery designs. It took many days for the embroidery alone! I explored and tried many ways to make the embroidery looked like the original fabric. I think the result is really pretty.

 

To this day, I am not sure what is this style of dress is called. It doesn't fall into the Sack Gown or the English Gown category. Which made my research a little challenging. But my background in fashion and the internet helped me navigate this design faithfully. The biggest learning was the weight of the fabric and how it can collapse the sturdiest panniers. If I was to remake this, I think a metal pannier would be the only way to go. I had the pleasure of hiring Epic Cosplay to shoot these photos for me during the Cherry Blossom season at the University of Washington's Quad Square.