Our original Rapunzel costume was in need of a redesign! She is becoming more popular, booking more visits each month. Though we weren’t ready to spend a ton on a new costume, I decided to get creative.

The original dress was purchased from a Halloween store. It was very thin fabric and didn’t fit very well. I had sewn in ribbon on the back to tie and make it more form fitting.

For the new dress, I really wanted to use a lighter fabric, more true to the actual character. I also loved the idea of using a real corset to give a more authentic look and better fit for my performers.

I purchased the corset base on Amazon. Here’s what it looked like when it arrived….

I purchased purple dye from Hobby Lobby and dyed the corset (following the instructions on the packaging) in my bathtub. After one good washing, the color was the perfect light purple I was hoping for.

I bought purple satin in two shades from Joanne’s fabric. Using a basic A-line design, I sewed the skirt together with the purple panel in the middle. The top of the skirt is made with elastic so it can fit a variety of sizes, and it saved me the trouble of sewing in a zipper. The floral design is actually fabric paint. I used a stencil (from Hobby Lobby) and painted it on. Once the paint was dry, I glued some purple sequins and rhinestones on the design as well to add a bit of sparkle.

The sleeves were cut from the old costume and sewn onto the new corset. Only to save time. We had an event booked and time was ticking to get everything finished!

The final touch was to add lace trim- EVERYWHERE. The bottom of the skirt, the top of the bodice, the edge of the sleeves, everywhere!

I was very happy with how it came out! I’ll be redoing the sleeves soon. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.