Maybe the most famous fairytale princess is Cinderella. She has been recreated in countless books, theater, ballet, and films. The animated Cinderella has made the story popular today but I also loved the film adaptation Ever After leading with a smarter and stronger heroine. We are all aware of the modern story of Cinderella, but where does the story come from?
The Chinese version of the story features a hardworking and beautiful maiden. Her fairy god mother takes the form of a wise old fish in this tale and dresses her in beautiful robes for the ball complete with silk slippers. One slipper gets left behind while she is fleeing the palace due to her midnight magical curfew. In Russia the story goes that the slipper was fur but the rest of the story is the same. The name Cinderella comes from the Grimm edition of the story. It is told that the young maiden is made to sleep by the fireplace in the kitchen. Her clothing and hair become sprinkled with ash and cinders so her sisters begin to call her Cinderella.
The blue dress also originates from the Grimm tale where her fairy god mother takes the shape of a tree which grows a beautiful blue silk gown. Blue is a very magical color in many traditions. The Disney animation traded the traditional blue for white but often reverts back to a blue in later designs.
Our Cinderella wears the traditional blue dress. The dress is handmade. We went with an elegant design from approximately the mid 1700's. The blue has the look of Shantung and the center panel is a silver and blue satin brocade The satin white details have a slight brocade as well. The gown requires a full petticoat. It takes a while for her fairy god mother to get her into this gown but it is perfect for a ball!
