[Cakes]

Good day, all! I'm a budding aristo-kei, and I've been dabbling in making clothes for quite a few years. I decided it was time to start creating the dresses and outfits that I have in my mind's eye for myself-- it's much too expensive to buy period clothing that isn't costumey!-- but I wanted some recommendations on the kind of fabrics to use.

I'm definitely after high-quality fabric. (Nothing is worse than cheap material to make elaborate clothing!) However, I'd like a little advice-- I read on a lolita forum that shiny fabrics tend to be a sign of a bad outfit, and since I take much of my inspiration from the lovely gosurori and aristorori clothes I see on those sites, it got me a little worried.

I have a vision of a dress inspired by the late Jasmine You of Versailles; call it a tribute, since the news of his death earlier this year struck me deeply. The material I'd wanted to create it in is a beautiful cold-purple dress satin I found at my local fabric shop. It's heavy and not stretchy; a good quality material insofar as I can tell. Is this a good choice, or would it be better to find a heavy matte fabric instead? There's not a lot of it left, so I will have to decide quickly whether to buy it or not lest I find myself with not enough fabric.

In general also, what sorts of fabrics look best with this style? I'm not totally unaccustomed to the general rules of fabric-choosing, but I'd like to choose the most authentic-to-period fabrics that I can on a student's budget. What should I be searching for?

Apologies for my bizarre rambling. I'd be very grateful if someone could give me some tips, though!


-Cakes