I'm working on my selkie costume to wear to the Hallow's Eve weekend (hopefully, please no rain! Or extreme cold!) at TRF and I'm not entirely certain on what to wear on my body. I'm not sure whether to wear a dress that looks like seaweed or a more peasant style outfit?
Depends how obvious you want to make it for people--seaweed if you want to be a "just washed up" selkie or peasant dress for the selkie whose trying to blend in. Either way, I'd incorporate some faux sealskin to hint to your true origins.
Could you unstuff a stuffed seal toy, as a headpiece? Kind of like when mountain men or Native Americans would wear a head & pelt, with the head pinned on top and the pelt draping over the back of the head. Use a good sized flat rock and scallop shell as a pendant. Maybe a pair of scallop shell earrings.
I've got the sealskin and jewelry covered, I think I'm trying to go for a more wild fey look, since I want to be seen as a selkie that hasn't been caught by a tricky fisherman to be his wife. :D I don't know what the weather will be like on that weekend, so I was wanting to do the seaweed dress, but use the peasant as a backup if I don't finish the seaweed dress in time, as I have the fabric I need to make it. I think I want to make it pretty obvious for people to know what I am. Even if they don't know what a selkie is, I want them to at least know I'm of aquatic origin.
I'd say a peasant type outfit, done in cool, 'watery' tones, trimmed with something else, like shells, or a petal style top skirt done to resemble kelp fronds. Definity something flowy, maybe a bit ragged. A higher, uneven hem, that kind of stuff to give it that wild feeling. With the seal skin, I picture it being worn more as a shawl, but thats just me...
I don't really have much knowledge of a selkie, but I'd think if you want an aquatic fey type look you'd probably show a nice bit of leg and adorn them with plenty of jewels made of shell. Fabric weighs you down in the water, so anything that is from the water would frown upon too much fabric. I'd throw a good bit of an island look into the outfit and maybe even a starfish in your hear or a whole headdress of shells and starfish. Maybe even a few 'found' objects that are likely to be dropped by sailors in the sea and found by your selkie that then wears them as jewels.
I didn't know what a selkie was so I Google-imaged it. Some good pics came up that might help.
Ok...this is just my thoughts on it...as a selkie you wouldn't have clothes of your own...you would be trapped on land until you found your sealskin (if I'm remembering the legends right)...
So, I'd wear whatever a woman would find to cover herself with near the beach...that includes clothes from a clothesline. Though, I'm not sure that would help others know what you are. Just my thoughts.
Like I said, I plan to make a seaweed dress out of an old camisole that I'll dye and sew on bits of fabric and sew on some shells. If a fairy godmother can make a ballgown out of rags, and some horses and a carriage out of some mice and a pumpkin, I think a selkie could magic up some clothes from things laying about on the beach, heh. ;)
Edit: To show what I mean by seaweed dress, I mean something like this, which was the inspiration behind the idea. http://nolwen.deviantart.com/art/Wild-Like-the-Sea-57795194
Ok I have a pretty good idea!
the place that you want to got to is www.dharmatrading.com
they have silk scarves that are dyeable! then you need to have a base dress/skirt/blouse
then you can take the scarves and stich them to the base.
the way that the dress in the picture was dyed was the scarves were wrapped around a pole ( like a broom handle) then the dye was poured on the silk.
you could use Rit dye or I really like Dylon dye it does not run like mad like Rit does and it lives in the craft section of wally world
Also I have some shamless self promotion here. I have som sea star barrettes that I make on my myspace
look me up under The Queen of Tarts or mountain rose creations
Good luck and post pictures!
I would do kind of a cross between the two. a peasant look, but the skirt and possibly parts of the chemise made to look like seaweed. Isn't there a stitch - seems like it is called lettuce or something like that...that would make the edge want to lie like that real tall/long seaweed that grows on the Ca. coast??....I'm thinking that if you have enough time I would die for a basic color and then use an airbrush to acheive more/different layers of color after you get closer to finish on the construction - use fabric paint - it is set with dryer heat so, once set it won't wash out. then you can embellish with shells or whatever.. OOoo - wish I was young enough to show that much leg... hmmm - maybe there is a way to do an old lady version..
please post pics when you finish!!
The picture I keep think of while reading some ideas and mythos is the dress that Ariel fashioned from a sail in Disney's The Little Mermaid. Obviously, you can go for a more attractive version than what she came up with, but its an interesting idea. Maybe incorporate some worn ropes or fishnet into the costume. I'm not too familiar with selkie legends myself but it sounds like you've got a good start on it!