Cinderella Literary Costumes
Fairy Tale Cinderella Costumes
There are plenty of Disney Cinderella costume ideas. Everybody knows what the dress looks like and about the glass slippers. But what about the Cinderella in the Grimm fairy tale? Here are ideas for the dresses and shoes Cinderella wore in the Brothers Grimm Cinderella. If you want a new twist on an old idea, consider going as the Grimm Cinderella for Halloween.
Cinderella Before the Festival
Cinderella is not the birth name of the character of Cinderella. It is a name given to her by her stepmother and stepsisters because she had no bed and had to sleep by the fireplace (Cinder-ella, ash girl). She was perpetually covered in soot. If you want to dress like Cinderella before the ball, then gray makeup to simulate the soot is a necessity. She wore an “old gray kirtle” (an old dress) and wood shoes. Any old dress will probably do for the costume, and simple flats will be suitable for the shoes.
This casual gray dress would make a great Cinderella rags dress. There are genuine wooden shoes that come in many different sizes if you want to be authentic and wear actual wooden shoes. And of course don't forget gray face paint for the soot all over your face.
Cinderella During the Festival
In the Grimm fairy tale the “ball” was a three-day event. A white bird (which would become the fairy godmother in the Disney movie) would grant Cinderella her wishes. When her stepmother refused to let her go to the festival, Cinderella wished for clothes for the festival. She was given a gold and silver dress and silk and silver shoes.
Featured here is a beautiful silver dress that is available in many different sizes. I've also included a gold shoulder wrap so you can get a little gold with the dress. To complete the costume are these silver slippers.
Cinderella on the Last Day of the Festival
The second day of the festival a more gorgeous dress than before appeared for Cinderella. On the third day there was an even more beautiful dress “the like of which had never been seen for splendor and brilliancy.” The shoes were gold.
The dress featured here would make a beautiful Grimm Cinderella ball gown. Shock the party-goers to silence with your beauty. Don't forget to lose a gold slipper so your prince can find you.
A White Bird Rose Up From the Tree
You can add a white bird to your outfit to complete the Cinderella
look for any version you choose. This decorative bird is meant to be
clipped to something, so it's perfect for clipping to a shoulder strap.
It has white beads that look like small pearls and mirror beads so it will
go really well with a fancy dress.
Read the Brothers Grimm Cinderella Fairy Tale
And maybe a few others as well.
The first book featured here is a volume of the complete fairy tales of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. The second book doesn't have all of their fairy tales, but it has a lot of them and the Kindle edition is only $4.99. The third book gives several versions of Cinderella and has interpretive essays about the fairy tale.