10/10/2025
“The Fate of Ophelia”
Most of us know who Ophelia is—maybe from school, paintings, or simply from pop culture. She was an innocent girl, a victim of patriarchy and the circumstances of her surroundings that eventually led to her madness and death. Never really got the life she deserved, not with her brother, her father, and not even with Hamlet. Her poetic death in the river swimming with the flowers she picked summed up who she was—just an innocent girl that paid the price for the sins of people she was not meant to be with.
As soon as this dress was finished, it was Ophelia who came to mind first. I thought, “This is probably what Ophelia would wear on her wedding.” but also, this is what I would also picture her wearing in her final hours. The pleats rippling as if moved by water, the lace flowers that clung to the bodice, the neckline looking like a bouquet carrying flowers she picked that day, the lace skirt train that trailed onto her, the pearls that symbolize tears on such a mournful event, and lastly the sheerness of the dress that is as sheer as one’s Medieval shift dress worn to swim in the river.
This was a dress that had no design plan from the beginning. I let myself play along with these leftover fabrics I selected over the course of three weeks and waited to see where it would take me. The dress begins with a base satin bustier overlayed with a hand-tacked micro-pleated bodice that starts by the empire and ends at the waist, letting it flow freely into an asymmetrical skirt. Pieces of cut lace were carefully placed onto the bodice and adorned with pearls for depth. A matching long skirt with slight train was made as a final piece to provide a two-way look for the wearer.
*This dress was made with leftover fabrics from past projects. One of one. For sale only. Comes with a custom matching intimate bottom upon ordering.