Belle Époque Costume Creator: Edwardian Gown Designer

Belle Époque Costume Creator is an Edwardian gown designer: instead of picking a finished dress, you build one from separate parts and fabrics, the way a dressmaker of the time would. The idea behind it is a single evening gown fit for a night aboard the Titanic.

Building the gown

The dress is assembled from pieces. You choose the top, the sleeves and the skirt separately, so the same bodice can become a dozen different gowns depending on what you pair it with.

Fabric layers

What makes this creator different is how it handles fabric. You can mix opaque fabrics with transparent ones, add delicate lace overlays and apply patterns. A sheer layer over a solid one gives that soft, floating look of Edwardian evening wear, while a patterned skirt under plain lace looks richer and heavier.

Dressing for the evening

Once the gown is done, the accessories turn it into an outfit for a grand occasion:

• jewelry, from fine pieces to statement jewels
• feathers, a key detail of the period
• hats, from small to dramatic
• fur coats and stoles for the cold sea air

Hair, makeup and face

The creator does not stop at clothes. You can also change her hairstyle, her makeup and her facial features, so the lady wearing the gown has a look of her own and is not just a mannequin.

About the era

The Belle Époque was a time of peace and prosperity in Europe, and of artistic movements like art nouveau. That love of ornament shows in the gowns: soft lines, delicate trims and lots of layering.

Gowns to try

First class dinner

A pale gown with a lace overlay, long gloves, pearls and a feather in the hair.

Night on deck

A darker gown, a fur coat over the shoulders and a wide hat.

Soft and sheer

Two transparent layers in close colors over a solid base for a floating effect.