Wearing Homemade Princess Outfit in Park...is this allowed?

[Kevenswife2]

I'm making my DD6 a fancy yellow Belle dress for Halloween (not using a Disney pattern, but copying it from the one in the Disney Store catalog). I bought her the Belle crown from Disney. I also planned on her wearing it to her breakfast in Epcot with the Princesses, but DH asked if Disney would allow it, since it's not made by them. Hmmm...good question.

I know I have seen other little girls wearing princess dresses at the parks, but never really paid attention to whether they were Disney brand or homemade.

Will she be able to wear her Belle dress to the Storybook Princess Breakfast? I know she'll want to change into shorts as soon as it's over with.

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

Originally posted by Kevenswife2
Will she be able to wear her Belle dress to the Storybook Princess Breakfast?

Of course she can, WDW can't stop her.

 

[pyrxtc]

You can wear pretty much anything you want in WDW. As long as it's not vulgar. I'm sure she'll look gorgeous.

 

[2dogmom]

I only buy bostumes because I am not talented enough to make one. I'm sure she will look great as Belle!

 

[Kevenswife2]

Thanks guys. The thought never even crossed my mind that she might NOT be able to wear it. DH was telling me how funny the copyright laws are and that there might be a proplem. I guess my only problem now is how to get it through the airline system and to WDW without getting crushed...there's lots of tulle under the skirt and shimmery fine netting (also tulle?) over the outside of the skirt.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Do you get the Disney magazine? They have a sections where readers send in stories and pitcures. There are many pictures of home made costumes, murals, cakes, you name it.

As long as you aren't selling them they can't have a problem with it.

DD has a snow white one her GM made her, I think I might take it for next trip.

Mary

 

[Kevenswife2]

You're right! I have seen that in the Disney Magazine. Thanks for reminding me.

 

[LisaZoe]

My DD and I returned from our trip yesterday. I made 2 dresses for her - partly in case one didn't survive the first meal and partly just because making them was fun. I had many CMs comment on her gowns and none even seemed to be concerned that they weren't Disney dresses. In fact, most seemed to know right off that they weren't Disney purchased I didn't try to make a gown that looked like one worn by a specific princess but several CMs said the gold one looked like Belle's.

I wouldn't worry about copyright. Unless you were going to make them for sale you should be OK. Even if you were going to sell them, you'd probably only get in trouble if you made them exactly like the ones Disney sells or sold them using a Disney copyrighted princess name and that's unlikely. I don't think sewing patterns have any restrictions on using them for items to be sold but that would be about the only copyright I'd be concerned about.

Here's the gown my DD wore to PSB (she wasn't being very cooperative when I tried to get a photo )

My DD wore the gold gown in my sig below to Cinderella's Gala Feast. She loved how the skirt and petticoat twirled. The one problem was stairs... but once I showed her how to hold the skirt up with one hand while holding the railing with the other, she seemed born to wear them.

 

[BevS97]

Wow! Doesn't she look beautiful!!!

That gold one is stunning - I am truly in awe that you could make a dress like that.

 

[Kevenswife2]

Yes, they are truely beautiful! You're quite a seamstress. What a beautiful little 'princess' too!

 

[LisaZoe]

Thank you. I learned to sew at an early age, probably 12 or 13. I was big then, as now, and quickly found that it was easier to make clothes than to try to find anything with style in my size. I haven't done a lot of sewing for my DD but plan to increase it now that she's older and isn't outgrowing things several times a year.

These dresses were actually fairly simple. I think sewing patterns have become much more "user friendly" in the past 10 or so years. If you can sew a blouse, you shouldn't have any problem making a dress like this. One advantage of sewing for a young girl is that there aren't as many curves to worry about. We'll see how I do when she's a teen ... assuming she'd even be willing to wear something "homemade" then.

One thing I learned when having my DD try these on was to line the bodice with a soft cotton muslin. This covered the seams with the netting and the slightly "scratchy" dress fabrics. I worried that it would make the dresses too warm with that added layer but my DD didn't seem to mind and she wasn't complaining about it itching or being scratchy.

 

[NotUrsula]

Just FYI: some of the best fabrics I have found for making these sorts of dresses for park wear are flat sateen bedsheets. I go to Tuesday Morning and get 400 count Egyptian cotton flat sheets; they usually have several pastel colors, and one queen flat sheet is usually more than enough fabric for the avg. little girl's dress, as they are so wide.

The fabric is breathable, very soft and exceptionally durable, but still has that lustrous sheen that makes it look very rich and elegant.

BTW, to keep from crushing the dress on the plane, the best way is to treat it the way dancers do, w/ a cotton bag. Get a king pillowcase and open a bit of the seam in the middle of the narrow end for the hanger to go through. Using a padded vinyl hanger, slip the pillowcase over the dress; it will hold the tulle down straight. Carry it onto the plane as a carryon, and fold it over at the waist to put it into the overhead bin, on top of any other bags in the bin.