To me, dressing up is more fun than well, not. So I started this Disney character series {Cinderella was my first} with the excuse that Halloween is just around the corner, but really, I’m having so much fun, I may just keep going after the fact. I guess we’ll just wait and see.
But like I said in yesterday’s post about how I achieved this crazy red hair color, I fell in love with the movie Brave while watching it simply for this costume. I’d seen photos of Merida all over the internet, so I knew what she looked like, but I really wanted to watch the movie to get a feel for her character. And she’s just great.
Without giving away the movie, even though I totally want to reference my own life and how just recently my mom and I saw a bear and how our relationship tied into the storyline, I won’t go beyond that and spoil it for you. But I loved it, and I will tell you that it’s different from every other Disney “princess” movie, and that it may or may not reference the movie Braveheart. And I think I must have watched it at least five times over the weekend while creating this DIY Costume and hair and makeup.
So this is Princess Merida… the look from which I based this costume entirely on because it’s what she’s wearing throughout most of the movie.
It’s a Renaissance sort of a look in a rich, deep teal. However in some scenes it looks more like forest green or maybe even a deep emerald and in others it reads more blue. I just so happened to have a long vintage velvet deep green/teal circle skirt which was my first inspiration for this costume. But I needed a top…
I created the base of the Merida costume with a stretch velvet mini dress {from American Apparel} in a deep green. ONE, because they don’t make a floor-length version of this dress that just happens to flare out from the hips down {but they probably will soon because that’s just so 90’s} TWO because let’s be honest, most ladies opt for sexy Halloween costumes. THREE because I like versatility and this look is great for just that. Add a full length circle skirt for your day look at work or with the kiddos and then whip off the skirt for your evening Halloween party with adults. Two looks, one DIY Dress, brilliant.
Click through links below for my full DIYS + costume details…
* DIY Princess Merida Adult Costume Tutorial
* DIY Princess Merida Hair & Makeup Tutorial
Here’s the finished look on… and the Sexy Merida Costume option.
And here’s the back… it’s SHORT… and it rides up {fyi ladies} But it’s hot.
Merida keeps her bow and arrows on her at most times {as you can see in my inspiration photo above}, but I opted out of those costume details and instead simply wore a one inch brown leather belt slung low around my hips to signify it. However, to create an arrow holder, you could easily use a SmartWater bottle, cut it and cover it with brown leather {or brown felt} and attach it with a loop to your belt.
She also wore flat lace up ankle boots with socks, and while I do have a pair that matched her look perfectly, I opted for a more flattering version with a heel. What can I say… I’m a stickler for details, but not if it’s gonna make my legs look like stumps.
To create the more authentic look, I simply pulled the long skirt {which is an easy circle skirt you can make in a cinch} up and over the mini dress. It wasn’t an exact color match, but even the camera lens got confused sometimes.
Find out more in my DIY Merida Costume…
And even though it’s not quite long enough, it still works just as well.
If you’ve seen the movie, then you’ll have to admit that the location is kind of perfect, though it could use more moss and grass I suppose. But as we began shooting, it started to rain, so we’d run inside and then it would stop and the sun would come out so we’d run back out and then the clouds would cover and rain would fall again for a few minutes. It made for an interesting shoot because the light kept changing, and the running of course, and then my “pretend running” in the shots as well as bear poses made for one of the best shoots we’ve ever had. We laughed a LOT. It was also a bonus because the rain brought the colors of the trees out and darkened the dirt as well.
Click through links below for my full DIYS…
* DIY Princess Merida Adult Costume Tutorial
* DIY Princess Merida Hair & Makeup Tutorial
Have Fun!
* Happy Costume Making!
* Find all my Disney DIY Costumes here
