Marie Antoinette
Marie was on my list for a long time and became precious to me as I really wanted to wait until I felt I could do it right. I love costumes that really play into fun hairstyles and became infatuated with all of her wild hairdo’s. Once I saw the ship wig, I knew that was the way to go!
I discovered the the ship wig was actually a hairstyle worn by women in 1778 to celebrate the victory of a French naval victory over the British. It was called Le Pouf à la belle Poule. I loved the idea of women using their hair, something touted as frivolous, to make political statements, so this costume was an ode to that!
Making the Ship
The ship needs to be lightweight in order to sit on your head, so I made it out of thin foam sheets from the craft store. I spray painted it and then made the poles using dowels. I made the sails with fabric squares and wire, which will allow you to shape it. I wrapped string around the dowels and added little sails for detail.
To secure it to my head, I cut little slits into the bottom of the ship so that I could slip barrettes through it, and then clip them down to my hair. I strategically placed flowers around it to hide any flaws and add extra security.
See the video below:
The Costume
The corset was from Oh Polly but out of stock!
The hoop skirt was from Etsy but also no longer sold. Search “Crinoline hoop cage skirt pannier”. Some options I like here:
This is sold out but look how cute! I’d base mine off of this if doing it for the first time.
The bloomers were vintage from Etsy.
The flowers were from Hobby Lobby.
