The news was especially ‘wicked’ this weekend…because the second movie adaption for “Wicked” has finally hit the silver screens! People everywhere are dressing in green and pink and there is a special excitement in the air that I am thrilled to be a small part of. In November 2024, I discovered there was more to the Land of Oz than previously known from watching the movie Wicked (Part one) at a theater. This pegs me as a newbie enthusiast. Nevertheless, I have been a fan of the original Wizard of Oz story since I was little when some glitter ruby slippers were given to me as a gift. Eventually, my own Dorothy costume was sewn for Halloween 2014. The rest of my family joined in by dressing as the lion, scarecrow, and Toto, too! Thus, after lurking in the shadows of curiosity over the Broadway interpretation of Wicked, this was a full circle moment for me to parody the pretty pink fashions of the “good witch” Glinda to attend last week’s movie premiere night. “I Couldn’t Be Happier” to have stepped out on the yellow brick road in something I made!
It seems many fans dually cheer for Elphaba and Glinda, while others gravitate more strongly to the one main character or another. I feel that I fall somewhere between both camps, yet the fashion of Glinda has an absolute hold on my taste in fashion. The use of varying shades of pink to lavender shows Glinda progression along the path to truly being “good” while her feminine frills in no way hide her strength and determination. This was a very tricky thing to tackle but Wicked’s costume designer,the amazing Tony and Emmy award winning Paul Tazewell, expertly succeeded at creating clothing which was great at telling a story by sight alone. Pink and purple shades are my favorites, but this movie helped me see them in a new light that was inspiring in the best way possible.
My Glinda influenced suit set has multiple shades of pink and purple to honor her story of both part one and part two of the movies. Tie-dye swirling colors are the backdrop to a sea of lavender 3-D bubbles, a nod to the classic symbol of Glind’s “powers” and unique mode of transportation. I also want my bubble brocade to reference a specific song from Wicked: For Good, the newly added song “The Girl in the Bubble.” To me, this song completes Glinda’s character transformation. It is an admittance of guilt for participating in a system of deception that has caused harm to the noble aspirations of others in her life as well as her own. Glinda’s uncomfortableness with the title of “Good” bestowed upon her is painfully obvious when she looks at her reflection. “She’s the girl in the bubble/ Blissfully floating above/ ‘Cause all that’s required/To live in a dream/Is endlessly closing your eyes.” The transportation bubble becomes a symbol of how far astray she has come. “The beautiful lies never stop/ For the girl in the bubble…it’s time for her bubble to pop.” The song ends and we see Glinda’s sudden resolute determination to truly help the hairy situation Oz was in at the moment.
I was “The Girl in the Bubble” for one special night, but my suit will now be enjoyed well past the movie’s opening weekend. I can carry the beautiful metaphors and lessons behind Glinda’s story with me every time it is worn again. All Glinda ever wanted was to be magical but I see sewing as the real source of magical powers. One’s dedicated aspirations are tucked into every seam and an ethereal idea in one’s head becomes concrete, all thanks to sewing. A specially made garment can transport its wearer to a happier place…no heel clicking of some ruby slippers required!
THE FACTS:
FABRIC: a rayon “tie-dye” bubbled jacquard, fully lined in a rayon Bemberg satin
PATTERN: McCall’s #8541, View D, a 2024 reprint of a 1981 pattern originally #7828, for the jacket and a vintage original Simplicity #5032 from my collection, from the year 1963
NOTIONS NEEDED: I used lots of thread and some interfacing. The skirt originally didn’t need a zipper, but I added one. The jacket didn’t call for button closures, but I made it so. Antique Czech glass buttons were used!
TIME TO COMPLETE: This complete suit took over 50 hours to complete. The blouse and skirt were ready-to-wear items.
THE INSIDES: So clean! The skirt’s raw edges and hem are finished off with vintage rayon seam binding tape while the jacket is fully lined (see picture below right).
TOTAL COST: I spent $40 for two yards of the bubbled jacquard from “Elliott Berman Textiles” (see it here in cherry), but this reasonable cost was half the regular price since there was a sale at the time. The Bemberg rayon is left over from a past project and was barely a one yard remnant, so I am counting this as mere pittance in cost. The Czech glass buttons set were bought for about $4. The zipper was vintage from an acquired stash and the Supima cotton thread was a gift that I won from a previous sewing challenge. The blouse and skirt came from Target – the top was free from my mom and the skirt was a clearance item for $4. This suit was only $50!
My suit’s Victorian revival details recall Glinda’s days at Oz’s ‘Shiz University’ (see picture at left), the part of the story in the first movie which was the backdrop to many of the life-altering decisions of the various characters. Since Wicked is set in a fantasy world, I took the liberty of not going authentically historical, but taking a modern interpretation via the most recent decade that revived Victorian fashion…the 1980s! It often takes something that is credible to help fiction be believable. In the era that popularized the romantic Gunne Sax gowns, Laura Ashley dresses, and other ‘prairie’ styles, this suit jacket’s 1981 origin definitely fits right in with a the trends of its time. I have made my own Gunne Sax imitation (here) as well as a couple historical Victorian outfits (here and here) so channeling both influences once again through my unique interpretation was so enjoyable.
The skirt portion of my suit comes from a true vintage 1960s pattern in my collection. A flared but simple skirt was needed to balance out the strong shoulders and cinched waist of the suit coat. Yet, I needed one that didn’t require much fabric. I was only working with two yards to end up with a full suit! This particular 1960s design was perfect – it was on hand already and most importantly left just enough room for the suit coat’s pattern pieces. The fact this pattern originates to the 1960s is a great reference to the first time L. Frank Baum’s stories were turned into a children’s cartoon series, aired for television. Tales of the Wizard of Oz came out in 1961, quickly followed by The Return To Oz in 1964. The classic 1939 live-action The Wizard of Oz film was already being aired on television annually, beginning in 1959 and running to 1991. “The (yearly Wizard of Oz) program has become a modern institution and a red letter day in the calendar of childhood,” remarked Time magazine in 1965. Interestingly enough, the only year The Wizard of Oz was not annually broadcasted happened to be in the year of my skirt pattern – 1963!
The suit’s jacquard is so extraordinarily deluxe. Unusual for a jacquard, it has one right side and is bubbled up in texture, technically making this an especially lovely matelassé. Such a fabric has a wonderfully light but still substantial weight to it. I was glad there wasn’t much to interface because this fabric does not take well to being ironed down. There is most beautiful high-quality subtle shine that speaks to the fact it is soft rayon and not stiff polyester, like most brocades or jacquards today. The funny thing is knowing I did not pick out the fabric for the purpose of this suit when it was bought earlier this year. I knew it was worth adding to my order when I saw it…that was all! A month before the movie release date, the the idea of using the bubble jacquard struck me suddenly. Having an exact look-alike costume was never a possibility for me, and this jacquard is a great way to balance Glinda’s style with my preferences. Paul Tazewell, the costume designer, really went to great lengths to create high quality costumes with fine details, crafted to perfection for each character. This lovely jacquard, along with the vintage Czech glass buttons I added, seemed to be on the right path when aiming at the high bar of Wicked’s excellent costumes.
As high quality as my fabric was, the suit jacket’s pattern did not feel like quality. Being a ‘vintage’ reprint, I was immediately suspicious as to what was possibly changed from the original. Most of the “Big Four” pattern companies (Simplicity, Butterick, McCall’s, Vogue) have some history of changing, adapting, and modernizing their re-issues of older patterns. This has been proved several times by both myself and other vintage bloggers who have original authentic patterns to compare differences. This suit jacket pattern has no previous reviews on the internet that I could find, so I felt like I was on my own here. Right from the beginning of laying out the tissue to cut out the pieces, the way many pattern lines were misprinted alarmed me. Every millimeter off adds up in sewing, and so many lines were inked over plenteous tiny wrinkles in the tissue paper. How this condition ever passed a quality inspection is beyond me.
This meant the pattern was possibly inaccurate, and so I sized up to be on the safe side. However, the pattern did run a size too large, but I just ran with it anyways and made it work. I always need roomier upper arms, after all. The extra wiggle room in the main body was an opportunity to adapt this jacket be a button closing by overlapping the excess. I ended up liking such a detail better than the pattern’s original plan for my chosen design, “View D”. The waistline ran very long as if it was meant for a tall person, and I had to pinch out two whole inches of the pattern, as if I was making a petite alteration. (My back neck to back waistline measurement is 15 ½ inches, for reference.) This jacket was not a disappointment, nevertheless, and I adore the final look, yet be warned that this pattern will have its fair share of challenges.
I was considering adding in real pockets under the pocket flaps, yet the thought was not put into action. These pockets flaps are for show only. Yet, what a show they are with the buttons! My jacket only clicked for me once I added the buttons. I am still unsure about using antique glass buttons for working buttons holes but this project needed them and if not now…when will they be enjoyed? I also sewed down an oversized translucent pink flower button to the left lapel, but that blends in from a distance more than the buttons do. My frilly pink shoe clips, with a rhinestone button in the middle, are the only thing competing with glitter of the buttons!
My skirt pattern was meant to be a wrap closed originally, but the size I had was too small for me. Yet, this predicament worked in my favor. My current version of the skirt does not wrap. It now has a zip closure above a deep front slit along an open seam to show off the extra details that I added to keep things interesting. This suit needed layers and lots of interest going on to properly channel Glinda. Besides the peach chiffon blouse, a matching peach pleated skirt was worn underneath my suit pieces. A skirt that was open would show the visual opulence of my set and add yet one more pinkish shade. The puffy jacquard helps the skirt have a structured shape that is as fun and fabulous as a bubble.
Whether or not you also enjoy the newest Wicked films at any level, I hope you can equally appreciate my excitement over my newest suit to even a small degree that I do. Constructing suits is probably my favorite highly detailed technique to tackle. They are time consuming to sew and tailor, but are versatile and more than pay back for the time invested into them. This particular bubble suit set is great on many levels for me. For a start, it is wearable historical fashion, a strong but feminine style, in high-end fabric that is unique, and reminiscent of a movie I enjoy. Ever since I was little I did like a matching set and always brought my current fandom into my dress-up occasions.
During “The Girl in the Bubble” song in Wicked: For Good, Glinda connected with her childhood and used those memories to guide her path through adulthood. Wearing this suit to the premiere showing helped remind me that dressing up is still just as exciting as it ever was in my childhood and there are some things that have stayed the same about me through the years despite my changes. I couldn’t help but think of how younger me would be proud of who I am today. I wish those feelings for everybody!
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