Last year I made a Crimson-Peak inspired costume to wear to a spooky tea party. I skipped a cost tally at the time because there were some fixes and upgrades I wanted to make so the outfit wasn’t done. You can see this older post to view the original version and inspiration images from the Guillermo del Toro movie. I wore it again at Costume College this year in its final form.
Photo by Gloria of In the Long Run
My Crimson Peak group was rounded out by Adrienne as evil sister-in-law Lucille and Elizabeth as another Edith. (After CoCo Adrienne added more details to her costume to make it more screen accurate, and Elizabeth has some really gorgeous textures in her flowers, so be sure to see their IG accounts for more photos).
My blouse is made of a finely-pleated silk chiffon, with a cotton gauze base. I put crinkled silk in hot tea then cold vinegar, which caused everything to shrivel up into tiny little pleats. The silk, cotton, and lace was all dyed with black tea. The collar is interfaced with cotton organdy.
The back closed with silk-covered buttons and loops.
The skirt was made with a bronze silk and I swapped out the heavier glass buttons I had before to these faux tortoise shell ones. Underneath I wore this lace petticoat and bum pad.
The belt was made by pleating silk scraps and sewing down box braids to the top. 
I bought the buckle on Etsy, but I’m afraid the shop appears to be closed now.
You can see how I made my hat (by cutting down a taller straw hat) and why I chose this particular design in my previous post about this costume.
I am proud to say that our group was Kate Hawley approved! The costume designer for Crimson Peak left us a comment on Instagram!
Photo by Gloria of In the Long Run
Project materials:
Skirt:
- 5 yards bronze silk taffeta from friend’s garage sale: $43.50
- Fan tail skirt e-pattern from Black Snail Patterns on Etsy: $6.19
- 10 faux tortoise-shell buttons from eBay: $5.98 including shipping
Belt:
- Hand clasp belt buckle by Anneliese van Overbeek (Etsy): $66.48 including shipping
- 24 pack of box braids from Aliexpress: $5.90 including shipping
- Black silk taffeta (scraps left over from other project): $0
Blouse:
- 2 meters crinkled silk chiffon from Halo Silk Shop (Aliexpress): $22
- 4 yards cotton gauze from Amazon (affiliate link): $17 (I have plenty left over)
- 1 yard beige lace from Britex Fabrics in SF: $17.55
- 2 meters black floral lace from Aliexpress: $4.22
- More miscellaneous beige lace, thread, tea, organdy, buttons, etc. from stash or leftovers from other projects: ~$5
Hat:
- Straw boater hat from Amazon (affiliate link): $13.98 (You can find cheaper boaters on eBay but I was in a hurry so Prime to the rescue!)
- Painted feather butterflies from Amazon (affiliate link): $10.99
- “Ribbon” was scrap of silk from my skirt fabric
- Hot glue
Miscellaneous costs from stash (thread, hooks and eyes, hot glue, etc.): $5
TOTAL COST: $223.79
For footwear I wore Tavistock boots and silk stockings from American Duchess.
I enjoyed wearing this costume and I’d like to make a dark version! I have the hand belt in black, so Goth Edith is on my to-do list!
Fresh Frippery 