Costuming Ursula (Concept) from The Little Mermaid

There’s something about a good villain.  Particularly a villain that still makes a statement decades later.  As I’ve tended to gravitate towards costuming villains (and…), Ursula from The Little Mermaid really appealed to me.  I’ve seen some spectacular Ursula cosplay at DragonCon and on the internet.  This young lady was my inspiration for costuming Ursula, however I modified the skirt, hair, and accessories to be more age appropriate for me.  I went for a red carpet look for my Ursula.

 

 

The skirt was the main focus, and the most work.  I found a gorgeous bolt of taffeta at High Fashion Fabrics in Houston’s Midtown.  One side a light lavender, the other a dark purplish black.  I wasn’t sure how much fabric I’d need (it’s not like I had a pattern!) so I purchased 12 yards.

 

 

For an underskirt I made a satin skirt with the Game of Thrones Daenerys costume skirt pattern (McCalls 6941).  This is the same skirt I made for my Artemisia and I plan on wearing the skirt for other projects.

 

 

For the taffeta, I folded a large 6″ cuff along the long side of the 12 yards.  I wanted the dark purple to be the outside, with the lavender on the inside folded out as the cuff, so that the skirt looked like tentacles (sort-of-if-you-squinted).

 

 

I ended up using the entire 12 yards, but I cut one side in a wave pattern that i pulled, pleated, and sewed to a waistband.

 

 

 

So that was the hardest part!  Everything else was accessorizing.  I topped it with a black overbust corset from Corset Story in England.  Underneath the tentacle skirt and black underskirt, I added a A-line petticoat for volume.  I purchased an illusion black pearl necklace and attached a gold spray-painted shell from a shop in Galveston.  I also used real shells for the earrings.

 

 

I also played with worbla for the first time.  Using YouTube videos, I made a trident and crown.  Originally I made the trident and crown for my husband, who costumed King Triton (red carpet tuxedo concept) but I liked the look so much I stole it.  For the crown and trident pattern I drafted, you can download it here (Ursula) and scale it to your size.

 

 

Finally, I made a stole wrap from a remnant I found on sale that reminded me of Flotsam and Jetsam.  I lined the edges with satin ribbon so it wouldn’t fray.

 

 

 

Triton and crown…who wore it better?

 

 

I wore Ursula twice last October for two separate parties.  The first time I wore my wig in a side updo, but the second time I wore it down.

 

 

What I’m still working on is the make-up.  Mehron, while perfectly acceptable in colder climates, sweats off down here in Texas.  So I’m working on make-up that blends well, doesn’t sweat off, flake off, or rub off.  I hear good things about ProAiir and will try that before DragonCon this year.  Atlanta is stupid hot, and I need to not melt.

 

 

Those poor, unfortunate souls…