Vanessa.

Vanessa is Ursula's human form in The Little Mermaid. She only appears in a few scenes, and yet that brief presence stayed with me, enough that I wanted to add her to my project list. For once, I didn't want to follow the film's design to the letter: I wanted more detail in the costume, a sharper take on the silhouette. I took some liberties while keeping what makes Vanessa, with her manipulative and seductive side behind the bewitching looks.

The corset is built from a pattern dating to the late 1770s, which gives the bust a historical and refined structure. I assembled several panels on an interfacing layer, in navy velvet with raised arabesque patterns. The bones run through the seams, to hold the structure and cinch the waist. The lacing closes at the front, with a black cord. The bottom, cut into points, echoes Ursula's tentacles.